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DGPTA
Reviews
63 Up (2019)
I think most of the participants here would vouch, ya gotta give credit where credit is due...
I am very fortunate to be a student of psychology in 2024 because of works like this.
The stories themselves are, without a doubt, wildly entertaining and endlessly fascinating...but, something I don't see a lot of people talking about, is the researchers who first started the experiment, knowing it would be an investment beyond even their own lifetime, but would produce an 'endless' treasure trove worth of data that could be used to study and understand human behavior.
You know, it's not as simple as "talk to people every 7 years and record what they say."
Of course, yes, you absolutely have to give credit to Michael Apted to even conceive of this in the first place, the man is brilliant...but also (and I think he'd agree), there are a lot of moving parts here, and a lot of planning and precision has to go into this to make sure tracking these people throughout their lives wasn't 'just' for entertainment.
So, I'm here to applaud the decades of researchers and research assistants who had the foresight and awareness to even make this possible as a valid experiment in psychology, bracing for an inevitable change of communication mediums and media types while being as minimally invasive as possible. Respect.
Most scientific genius is literally just one person thinking, "let's write down something obvious."
This show is the living definition of that. Pretty cool.
Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary (2019)
Great documentary
Maybe they fixed it but I didn't have a single issue with the audio or hearing the interviewees, so not sure what that's about...Clear as crystal and tons of great behind the scenes footage, trivia, and interviews with pretty much the entire cast.
While the whole thing is quite touching, the bits concerning Alan Rickman alone make this worth watching. Not only is this a great tribute to Galaxy Quest, but to Rickman himself, who was just such a special and unique human being, his loss, like Robin Williams, truly left a hole in the heart of Hollywood that simply no one else can fill. All great actors and celebrities come and go, that's just the way of life...but there ARE some who hit a little bit harder than others, for pretty much everyone, and Rickman is definitely among that crowd.
Highly recommend watching this if you're a fan of Galaxy Quest (which, come on...how can you not be), especially if you're like me and a nerd for behind the scenes trivia and learning about the movie magic (and drama) that lead to the creation of such a great film.
Good stuff!!
Avatar (2009)
So much missed potential.
Man...Avatar. What a really, genuinely, sincerely, disappointing release.
Literally everything about the movie is amazing...
.......except the story. Which, unfortunately, is the most important part about a movie.
The dialogue, the acting, the world building, the casting...obviously the special effects, which are just incredible...all amazing. This movie did literally everything right.
Except the plot. Which is just...awful.
It's literally as lazy a plot as you can think of, one that is in no way based in reality. It's like a 6 year old watched Ferngully: The Last Rainforest and wanted to make their own version of it.
Like, what is this massive, MASSIVE army installation doing on an alien planet brimming with unique, beautiful life, including a peaceful native species?
And when I say massive, I do mean massive. What the **** does a peaceful alien planet need this many machine gun shooting, knife wielding mechs for? Hundreds of missile loaded gun ships? Giant bombs capable of wiping out half a planet?
Like...why? Huh? Makes no sense at all.
Look I'll be the first to acknowledge how awful humans can be, and the especially awful things they've done to indigenous cultures. But no, I'm sorry, if humanity discovered a planet like Pandora, they would NOT bulldoze its most sacred lands and violently commit bloody genocide on the innocent bow-and-arrow wielding natives. That simply would not happen.
As half the base is also scientists, clearly humanity is not at a point where we're all war hungry evil world conquering biological beings bent on galactic destruction. And clearly the people on Earth know about the Na'vi. Governments, committees, checks and balances, those clearly still exist. Even the military installments on our own planet are not this decked out, which is currently full of resources to bulldoze and capitalize on. Why would they have it on an alien planet millions of lightyears away, and not prioritize scientific discovery and establishing relations with a freakin' gorgeous, mystical, peaceful alien race?
There is just no way this sort of behavior would be a thing, and it TOTALLY kills all the other things this movie did right. It's just...dumb.
Sorry, but no. Humans suck, but in the case of a gorgeous alien world like Pandora, they would not suck to this extent, which makes the plot seem like nothing but a lazy, agenda driven narrative.
I cannot emphasize enough I am fully aware of western imperialism and the atrocities committed. Which is exactly WHY this would not happen to this extent in the future. It just wouldn't. They put so much effort into making this a "real" experience, while completely ignoring the one ACTUAL thing that would make it real.
The plot should have involved humans working WITH the Na'vi to stop a unstoppable force on their own planet, or even ANOTHER alien race...literally anything but what they did would have been better.
Ok, rant over. Just severely disappointed cause this could have been an amazing, world changing experience. But instead they chose to go with...this.
It does look amazing though, even 15 years later it's still one of the best looking pieces of cinema out there, far more so than many of the CGI action fests that have come out since.
Very unfortunate.
The Twilight Zone (1959)
Easily my all time favorite show
I mean, obviously Twilight Zone is the GOAT. What's not to like? The acting is peak, the writing is brilliant, to this day the story lines are still original and fun, the twists still unexpected, even the "stories" we all know still feel exciting. Sure, some are better than others, but even the bad ones are good.
I love how Sterling took folklore and other forgotten 19th century short stories and turned them into episodes, or they came from his own brilliance.
I think even for younger generations, it's so good the fact it's in black and white, plywood sets, rubber and polyester suits, not HD audio, is really not even a deterrent.
It's just that good.
I think anyone over the age of 40 already knows how great this show is, but if you're younger and looking at reviews to see if it's worth it...give it a shot. It really is that good.
By the way the BluRay/DVD set is superb. Endless hours of commentary, interviews, easter eggs, and lost episodes. It is currently $50 on Amazon which is an absolute steal imo.
Worth every cent and worth every second of your life you put into it.
You have now entered...the Twilight Zone.
The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
A must watch for any TRUE Poe fan
The irony of all these 1/10 comments saying how overrated the show is while giving it a 1/10 is just...well, let's just say...ironic.
Look, I can understand not being blown away by this show, I really can. I admit the acting at times was overdone, and some of the dialogue is a bit cliché...But to give it anything below a 5 just shows you either have absolutely no taste, or severe anger issues, and I feel sorry for you.
That said, if you ARE someone who is just looking for a delightfully creepy time, and ESPECIALLY if you are a fan of Poe - especially if you're an ACTUAL fan, not an "I read the Raven in high school English and thought it was cool" fan (which is fine too, but the real ones know) - you will appreciate the subtleties and brilliance of this show far more than anyone who isn't familiar with his work; Though, there is plenty in this show for them to appreciate too.
The way they intertwined his other short stories within the context of The Fall of the House of Usher is really quite brilliant. And lines from the work itself sprinkled throughout the episodes? Love it.
If we could revive EAP today, I am 100% certain he would have loved what they did here. The madness of enshrining eight of his stories within the madness of one...the concept alone is SO very Poe, I am 100% sure the writers ARE true Poe fans and knew exactly what they were doing when they wrote this.
Is it perfect? No. If you were to take away the "Poe" from this series and make it another Flanagan outing...that is, a show about the ghosts of victims of a pharmaceutical company haunting the CEO of the company based on their death (which in itself is not a bad premise tbh, kind of 13 Ghosts-ish)...I'd say 7/10??
But the context in which they were able to intertwine so much of EAP's work into itself IS a feat to be appreciated, and for that I put it at 9.
If you just want some creepy delightfulness with the occasional jump scare, you WILL find it in this show. If you want modern take live adaptations of Poe's work, you WILL find it in this show. The fx and sound are quite good too. If you want the greatest thing to come out of horror in the past 23 years, well...I guess listen to your own tell-tale heart, nevermore, nevermore, nevermore. ;-)
Portal (2002)
Legendary show
Unprecedented, both before and since. Literally nothing else like it has ever existed. Was it absolutely hilarious? Not really, though it had its moments. Did it have any sort of plot? Nope. Was it the most graphically brilliant show? Come on, it was G4, in 2002, about MMOs in the era of Everquest and Ultima...this was before the likes of Attack of the Show and even slightly before X-Play. Did you know there was a G4 before X-Play? Probably not. There was even a Cheaters. Nope, not that Cheaters. This was a show specifically about various cheat codes, hacks, and exploits in different games of the 90s and early 00s. But like most of the early G4 shows, they have since (tragically) been lost to time.
But, I remember.
No, what makes this show legendary is that it is essentially a deep dive into pretty much every MMO pre-WoW, before Blizzard came along and took over the MMO scene. It's hard to imagine, but before 10,000,000 people had active WoW accounts, there was a whole world of smaller, less graphically detailed online worlds out there, filled with boring side quests and generic mobs, with bustling communities many considered family.
Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online, Ultima Online 2, Sims Online, Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies...to name a few.
Portal is, more or less, a sketch comedy show that uses these old-school MMOs for its sets. It visits pretty much all of them at some point, giving you an inside look into the very early days of MMOs...which is, put simply, splendid.
Some day, video game historians will be a thing (I mean, they already are, but they do it for fun. Give it another 20 years, and there will be entire college classes dedicated to it). They will have to be 'very' dedicated into digging up archival footage of old games, but it will happen, and when that day comes, Portal will be the equivalent of a raid dungeon legendary boss treasure cove of information.
Only in the last few years have most of the episodes made their way back onto Youtube, all thanks to a single user who is based af. If you have any sort of interest in video game history, especially in terms of MMOs, this literally is as good as it gets.
This show started as an entertaining show for kids, but is now the equivalent of a documentary for early video games. If that sort of thing interests you at all, then you are in for a treat.
Disclaimer: Remember, graphics sucked back then. These worlds are not full of Orgrimmars and Ironforges. Keep that in mind, and you're sure to love it just as much as I did/do.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Entombed (2023)
Adult reviewers acting like children
You guys know this is a kids show, right? Yes, you are an adult watching a kids show, accept that fact now. The way you people are expecting Oscar winning narrative from a meager little animated series that is actually quite well done is just...unfortunate. To say the least.
So what if it's a filler episode. Mando is full of filler. Clone Wars was full of filler. You realize this isn't the last season of Bad Batch, yeah? What's your rush? Why can't we just enjoy a fun, classic sci-fi adventure on occasion?
I can agree it had plenty of cliché adventure tropes, but, for a 10-14 year old who isn't jaded by action adventures sequences, this is going to blow their freaking mind. Star Wars is a universe for 'all' ages, not JUST for the people who grew up with it.
This is literally as Star Warsy as it gets. The mech was epic, its destruction was epic, tapping into pre-Republic lore is epic, treasure hunting is epic...come on now.
I do agree Wanda Sykes was probably the weakest part of the episode. I like Sykes, but, she seemed out of place in this one. I do think she could've had a place in Star Wars, but adventurous treasure hunting pirate just isn't it. Snarky cantina owner maybe, space mechanic, information trader, something like that would have been much better for her, in my opinion.
Anyways, I think these reviews are being WAY too harsh, and I'm sure mine will get downvoted to Hell. You people have insanely unrealistic expectations for this show and seem to enjoy setting yourself up for disappointment. Once you finally accept Bad Batch for what it is...a TV-14 animated series that isn't geared towards adults, though also isn't necessarily made for kids, but instead for Star Wars fans in general...you will find that you're far less angry all the time and might actually get some enjoyment out of what has been a very enjoyable season.
Grow up already! 8/10.
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022)
Overall a good documentary...but I have thoughts.
Put simply, this documentary is very pro-Tony Hawk. Obviously, right? Which is cool, since I do believe...yes, even considering one of the top grossing gaming franchises of all time is named after him...a lot of people don't really know what role he REALLY played in the history of skateboarding. So, I get it, and I enjoyed it, and I do recommend it to anyone with any interest in the subject. Good stuff.
In short, Until the Wheels Fall Off solves that problem. It covers, extensively, Hawk's influence on skateboarding, and basically WHY he, among so many others, was the one that had the aforementioned game franchise named after him.
Having said that...that's pretty much all it does. If you were expecting a documentary to learn more about the REAL Tony Hawk...this ain't it. It touches on some sensitive subjects, but it's more or less just a summation of his role in the skateboarding world...
I'm fine with this. I'm not mad. It was cool to see some of the old stock footage from competitions and skate parks, as well as all the interviews with legendary names. But I was hoping to FINALLY learn more about Tony Hawk the person, and not Tony Hawk the skateboarder, since most of this can be learned via a Google search.
So, this is basically a cool, nicely done compilation of what you'd find googling "why is Tony Hawk important to skateboarding," but as a documentary.
I really only have two complaints. I do wish we learned more about who Tony Hawk is as a person. There are stories out there, and they aren't all glory and dedication, and I think he needs to address these more openly. It's important people know legends can be flawed too. Including his past relationships. Which I OF COURSE understand wanting to be a private issue, none of us have any right to know "what really happened," but, the rumors persist, and this doesn't do much to address them, when I was hoping it would. Understandable, but still a bit disappointing.
It does touch on some of his non-skateboarding life, as well as his intensity in training, which by all accounts is VERY intense, and how he clearly has internal struggles that he tried to cover up with skateboarding, as well as his parents.... But it kind of glosses over all of this to focus more on talking about how great of a skateboarder Tony Hawk is. Which is fair, but the title very much suggests this is going to be a deep dive into Tony Hawk, when in reality it's more of just an overall retelling of his career.
I also couldn't notice how severely downplayed the Activision games are. Which, on one hand, I get. They're video games. This is a documentary for skateboarders, not gamers. They are briefly mentioned, but when I say briefly, I do mean briefly.
That said...
And I've said this for years, but I don't think Tony Hawk gives the games enough credit for "reviving" skateboarding, which the documentary does admit was a dying sport in the mid to late 90s. It was very underground and nobody outside of the parks really cared about it. Tony Hawk on PlayStation in 1999 changed that completely, and introduced the sport of skateboarding to a broad audience and a whole new generation of kids who then played it, thought it was cool, decided to pick up a skateboard, and are now some of the top skaters in the world.
It kind of suggests it was mostly the "street" efforts of Tony Hawk that gave skateboarding new life...and I'm just not entirely sure that's true. It definitely is part of it, don't get me wrong. And like, it also is, since the games are named after him...but it almost implies it was through his hard work and dedication to keep competing that skateboarding was able to then grow into an Olympic sport, and as nice as that sounds, it was only a piece of the puzzle. In my opinion.
I truly believe the games were a key part of the "history" of skateboarding to get it where it is today, and I don't think this documentary appreciates that, even though they do come up and Hawk had a chance to finally do so...but instead more or less said "I did the motion capture, but had no idea they were so popular. Now, back to me."
Missed opportunity, in my humble opinion.
Still, it is a great watch, with TONS of great footage. I absolutely loved the interviews with greats such as Mullens, Caballero, Mountain, McDonald, McGill, Peters, and so many others. I recommend this to pretty much everyone, but especially to those with an interest in skateboarding. It is really well put together, very informative, and has an 'amazing' soundtrack
Watch this documentary, but just watch it knowing 95% of it is just the history of Tony Hawk's skateboarding life, which is still a fascinating, highly entertaining, wild ride worthy of its own documentary.
PS As another reviewer said...yes, everyone deserves a friend like Rodney Mullens. What a cool dude.
Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020)
Easily one of the best historical docudramas I've ever seen...which is many.
For the most part, docudramas can have great acting and writing, but suffer tremendously from budget constraints that cancel those out entirely.
They can also have horrible acting and writing, and a decent budget.
Unfortunately, as any history buff will tell you, this is just part of being a history buff since most people could care less about history and thus rarely are historical works that aren't a World War special given the love and attention they deserve.
But, on the rare occasion, you do you have a docudrama that has both great writing/acting AND a big(ish) budget AND is historically accurate.
This is one of those.
If there is ANY field you simply have to give Netflix credit for, it's how much they support historical documentaries and docudramas, moreso than just about any platform does or ever has. Not only do they have a great selection of them, but a lot of the Netflix produced ones are actually quite good.
Like, who'd have thought, right?
However, what is MOST important to me, more than any other thing that makes any sort of film production "good," is historical accuracy. And in this regard, Rise of Empires excels.
Anyone who says otherwise either doesn't know history or doesn't know what a docudrama is.
Here is a fact of life about history: We almost never, like literally just about never, have any idea the conversations that actually took place behind closed doors when some of the big moments you do read about in history books happened. We know this battle happened, this guy was assassinated, this mission was planned, attempted, and failed...but rarely do we know what was ACTUALLY said in the King's chambers when it was planned.
Enter: Docudrama. Take what we know for sure, and fill in the blanks. Sure, it's entirely possible many of the conversations in RoE never happened even remotely as they did in the show.
However, Rise of Empires, both season 1 and 2, captures pretty much every major KNOWN fact and event and portrays it with supreme detail, while ALSO making it clear the writers did their research on the characters they're writing for, and so make it likely that this very well could be roughly how these unknown background moments actually went.
As for historical accuracy, maybe with a few small exceptions, like seeing Mehmed II leading the front line of his armies into battle (when it was much more likely he stayed in the back commanding troops), or the bright, fanciful colors of Ottoman uniforms replaced with colorful-compared-to-Crusaders-but-still-dull ones, it really is quite accurate.
And as for the filling in of the blanks...imagine Game of Thrones, but without the fantasy and nudity. All of the political intrigue, espionage, family drama...basically the real life events that inspired GoT...are front and center here. Machiavelli confirms this stuff not only went on, but was quite common...why would it be any different with a man named Vlad "the Impaler" Dracula?
Are you familiar with the phrase "real life is stranger than fiction?" Well that phrase exists because of people like Vlad Dracula, and historical moments like what's seen in season 1 and 2 of Rise of Empires.
So, long review short, even if you aren't particularly a history buff, or have even the slightest interest in Ottoman history, if you like medieval battles and good performances, this really is a must see. We don't get many medieval productions these days, so you kind of have to take what you can get...and as of now, this is as good as it gets.
And, honestly, I don't think it'll get any better than this unless it's a big budget Hollywood production. And it's unlikely those will feature commentary from real historians and experts on the subject, so, in all seriousness, Rise of Empires is really quite a gift to humanity and history lovers alike.
Thanks for actually doing something that makes me not question bothering to keep paying for you, Netflix. I, for one, am grateful.
The Twilight Zone: The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine (1959)
Lower-Mid tier TZ...Which isn't to say it's bad.
It's probably on the lower end of my list of TZ episodes, but it's not bad. It doesn't have any sort of real, meaningful message, no fancy setting, no silly sci fi props, only 4 characters...
...But still, Sixteen Millimeter Shrine manages to capture that Twilight Zone vibe. The acting isn't the shows best, but it works, same goes for the dialogue. The most elaborate background is the bedroom, which is usually seen in the dark from one angle, old Jerry...lol.
It does have a great soundtrack, love how the music only plays when they enter Barbara's room. And Ida Lupino of course does a great job portraying the washed up, stuck in the past actress; a little overdramatic at times but it got the point across. Sally on the other hand, serious overacting here, really didn't do anyone any favors.
I struggled with 6 or 7 for this one, but ultimately the soundtrack and simplicity won me over. It's nothing special by TZ standards, but it's still a fun, and in some very subtle ways clever TZ episode.
7/10.
Wednesday (2022)
Take it for what it is, not what you want it to be
My dad would watch the original Addams Family when I was a kid, I do remember the unique mannerisms of each character and the cooky, spooky lifestyle they lived. I remember liking Munsters more, but both were enjoyable enough. However I was basically the prime demographic for the films and, like many others, yeah, I loved them. Never saw the CGI one.
I went into Wednesday knowing pretty much nothing about it except it was a spinoff based on Wednesday and Christina Ricci was somewhere in it.
Indeed, I was quite pleasantly surprised. Honestly, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I only have a few complaints, and most fall under the same umbrella...But they had a VERY high standard to live up to...and I'd say they did as good a job as anyone probably could have.
One thing I recall about the previous Addams family iterations is they didn't necessarily relish in the fact they were so weird. They just...were. It was sort of their thing, how they were basically oblivious to how twisted and odd they were, and it was everyone else who commented on it. Wednesday doesn't really follow this, which I do find disappointing...to an extent. In its defense, from what we've seen, it does seem to be mostly Wednesday who almost takes pride in her oddities, and the rest of the family is ^^as above. Of course, we see barely anything of the family, so we'll just have to see where they go with it.
However, if you 'are' going to make this change, I think Ortega and the writers did as good a job as you can. It's not like she made a HUGE deal out of her weirdness, but it was still a shift away from the traditional Wednesday.
The other major complaint is similar to others here. At its core, Wednesday really is a teen drama, a la Degrassi. Definitely not as cheesy and teenie as Degrassi, the show absolutely is made to appeal to adults as well, but it's a similar structure where most of the episodes in some way revolve around teenage drama at school...namely boys and popularity contests, "proving" yourself etc. Fortunately there was still enough "adult" content that I could just roll my eyes and laugh to quickly get over some of the cheese, but it seems more like a show made for a mother/daughter than a general fan of Addams, Burton, or all things creepy.
Having said that, I enjoyed it immensely. I loved the dry humor and wit Ortega delivered so perfectly. She is, obviously, the real star of the show. I'm a pretty 50/50 Armisen fan but I don't see how anyone couldn't like his Fester. Is it Christopher Lloyd? No. But so what? He still did a great job showing the demented quirkiness of Uncle Fester. Just because it's different or not as good doesn't mean it isn't good. Lloyd's version was actually much more of a shift away from OG Uncle Fester, so if you don't like Armisen, you can't claim that as being a reason.
Same applies with the family members. I think the 90s films pretty much perfectly cast the Addams Family, so Netflix had a high bar to beat there, and instead of also going for the "perfect" look, they decided to roll the dice and go with the "new" look.
For the most part, it works. It will be divisive, but I think over time we will continue to appreciate THIS Addams family more and more. I admit, I don't 'love' CZJ's Morticia, but I don't hate her either. I'm probably in the minority of that one though so, take it or leave it.
They are also clearly trying to capitalize on the ever widening gap of Harry Potter content, so Nevermore and Wednesday's paranormal adventures are very reminiscent of the Harry Potter movies...if you liked those, you will almost certainly like Wednesday. Just imagine Hogwarts but slightly smaller and if Tim Burton designed it, and they frequently visit Hogsmeade.
And on the note of Harry Potter there is also a magic/paranormal aspect to Wednesday, which at first I was a little iffy on, but I learned to appreciate what they were going for...which is exactly what they said. A unique spin off with the Wednesday character, not a re-creation of Wednesdays past.
My advice? Don't look too far into it. Take Wednesday for what it is...a portrayal of everyone's favorite sociopathic anti-hero prodigy...and you are bound to enjoy it.
8/10, really hope to see more of Armisen and Ortega in a season 2.
The Last Blockbuster (2020)
These reviews are very indicative of a larger societal problem...
People can't read. And even when they don't read, they set expectations. And when those expectations aren't met, they moan and cry about how disappointed they are or how unfairly they were treated.
Why would you go into this thinking it was supposed to be a documentary about the rise and fall of Blockbuster? Why would you expect anything other than a focus on THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER.
You know, the literal title of the movie.
Almost all the sub-5 reviews seem to be people who went into this expecting something it never claimed to be. And I think that's quite unfair.
Many of the others are mad because they didn't like the voice of the narrator who had 5 minutes of total dialogue, or because they didn't recognize the celebrity guests, thus making their insight irrelevant? Why is that even remotely relevant?
If you want...yes, a documentary...about THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER, as the title implies, yes, that is what this is. Sandi seems like an amazing human being and I have no doubt at least half the people in this review section could learn a lot from her.
The Twilight Zone: The Masks (1964)
A classic, of course...
This will be on pretty much any "Top TZ episodes" list if that says anything. The 'message' is a little cliche, the twist is obvious, and the makeup is hilarious, but it does all the basics to perfection.
The episode itself also serves as a brilliant little time capsule into the past, with flashes to New Orleans on Mardi Gras in the early 60s, as well as a nice juxtaposition of three generations, the old era getting it's turn at the new.
Why only a 7? Well A) I'm a TZ superfan so I'm hypercritical but also B) even for its time it's pretty cliche, and it's pretty simple aesthetically. This is more of a writing/acting episode than a visual one (obviously until the end), and while those can also be the best, the message here isn't one that really makes you think, but rather just an entertaining tale of come uppance and justice.
It would PROBABLY be on my must see list as well, but closer to the bottom. However that would be a very difficult list to make, so...
Still, a great episode.
Murderville (2022)
I'll just echo other sentiments...
The show is brilliant. It is just an absolutely brilliant idea, it's honestly kind of unfortunate how many of our best show ideas come from the UK...
Murderville is no exception.
Unfortunately, they did an awful job casting guests for Season 1 of the American version. All of the mainstay actors were perfect picks, particularly Arnette. What's disappointing is I can see exactly WHY they chose these guests specifically...but almost none of them lived up to the task. Conan should have been the best one, he has a very extensive improv background...yet even he was laughing during skits. What happened, Coco?
However, like many others here, I still truly believe they can find a better group of guests to come in who would do this show the justice it deserves and make it an easy 10/10...so I really hope it gets renewed for a season 2...give it just one more chance Netflix, please!
And I hope they realize they don't have to only use AAA celebrities. Up and coming improv comedians or slightly lesser known names should be asked too, if it's known they have the chops. There is a whole list of current and former SNL cast members who I KNOW would do this show.
Step up your game Murderville, you have literal gold in your hands and your letting it melt right through your fingers.
Metal Lords (2022)
SLC Punks meets School of Rock
If you know those movies, this is pretty much SLC Punk if they were metal heads instead and the target demographic/tone was the same as that for School of Rock (teens/families).
I look at this from an adult perspective of someone who literally grew up on metal.
At its core, it's DEFINITELY a coming of age teen romance movie.
That said, if this movie came out when I WAS this age, I'm sure I would have f'n loved it. They got the soundtrack right. The writing is a bit cheesy and it plays into A LOT of metal stereotypes, but honestly, if you're a metalhead, there is a charm to be found (and those cameos though).
It might be a little 'too' teen rom-com for the manliest of metal men, but it was at least refreshing to know the idea of a metal movie targeted towards metal head teens is even still a thing that could even exist. Hell if anything it's a great movie for all the aspiring metal chicks out there who are metal af but also still in touch with their girly side!
Definitely some people out there who will get a kick out of this one!
O Hóspede Americano (2021)
From the perspective of someone who cares about history...
Great show.
From a historical standpoint, it's...interesting. I have not read River of Doubt, but I am familiar with what it has to say (I do plan to, and will update this if I remember xD ). It's actually been surprisingly difficult to find out how historically accurate this show is, which usually isn't a good sign...
But this show at least gets timelines, names, and key events more or less correct. And for US history especially, these things matter. However it adds its own flair of drama to key conversations/speeches/moments that, quite cleverly, show its bias...but also wears it as badge.
Here's the facts, as any objective history lover knows to be true: He was racist. This is not an opinion, nor is it a secret. It is objectively documented in countless resources. He is very much a man of his time.
If showing his very well known racism and disrespect of other cultures is something you think is some sort of propaganda, then you are not a true lover of history, and will be extremely triggered throughout American Guest.
The show, which primarily takes place in Brazil, is intermingled with flashbacks to relevant moments of his life that help him overcome the more...logistical problems of traversing the Amazon.
It's actually quite brilliant. The way the show is shot and edited is a masterclass of directorship and filmography. I doubt this aspect will get nearly as much credit as it deserves.
Teddy Roosevelt was a very flawed man. He made some serious mistakes. But he is also one of the most unique individuals in the history of humanity...yes, humanity...and it takes a VERY unique person to walk the VERY unique, fine line America was forced to walk at the turn of the 19th century. Unfortunately his handling of Panama canceled out much of the good he did do. But he also did some REALLY good things that I don't think other men of his time would have done, and for that we should all be grateful.
So if you aren't triggered by anti-colonialist sentiments, you'll find an EXTREMELY well acted historical drama that does a great job capturing the tenseness and nuance of the overall situation, while making it relatable and almost humorous. I highly recommend it.
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (2021)
I'll just echo the sentiment...
This is definitely not some leftist documentary. It is literally just a retelling of what happened post-9/11. Whether you agree or disagree with any of the events that took place within the last 1-20 years doesn't change the fact they happened. History is history whether you like it or not.
***Spoilers start here***
I don't know if it's the calling out torture, the saga of Bush and the Patriot Act, or pointing out the consequences (failures?) of Iraq and Afghanistan, but this is not left wing propaganda, unless maybe you paint it out to be in your own head.
Of course when you watch it, you'll know EXACTLY the type of person it is in these reviews saying it is xD Yes it's exactly who you already think. Amazing how they have their own little online army to raid IMDB reviews...
But when you watch you'll see it's pretty clear this is a fairly central documentary, maybe a tad left leaning at parts, but that's really only a matter of pointing out things that actually happened and how you personally feel about it (the pictures from Abu Ghraib, for instance). It definitely criticizes Obama, and it's not 'particularly' critical of Bush or Trump either.
Recommended, if not just to see all the actual news clips from that era again. Memories...
The Mandalorian: Chapter 10: The Passenger (2020)
...how does this not move the plot forward?
It's literally about his adventure trying to get to where he believes the next clue to his destination is...but because it wasn't a perfectly smooth flight, and things didn't go exactly as planned, it doesn't advance the plot? I just could not disagree with this more. Tons of Mando character development too. And fan service galore. The Bill Burr episode where they took on that prison ship is an example of an episode that didn't advance the plot (not that I'm complaining). This one was quite literally about advancing the plot. People just like to complain because they didn't get what they wanted, they don't know how to appreciate what they were given...
Sidenote: There is no outrage of Baby Yoda eating eggs. A few people on Twitter pointed out the irony and the clickbait internet turned it into "people are outraged blah blah." People are getting outraged over outrage that never existed. It's quite ironic really, but also needs to stop.
The Witches (2020)
Not a remake of the movie.
It amazes me how many people in these reviews think this is a remake of the original movie. The original was based on a book. This is based on a book. This is a movie adaptation of a book, not a remake of a movie. And the original, as great as it was, is also not particularly faithful either. Regardless, comparing differences between this and the original movie is pointless and, in my opinion, stupid.
That said...
The movie is still mediocre at best. It's also not a particularly good adaptation of the book. Nor is it a good remake of the original movie. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen, a lot of the people giving it 1's are clearly just salty and have no idea what a 1/10 movie is really like and are stuck on the original (I suggest Birdemic for a 1/10 movie), but I don't see myself recommending this to anyone any time soon either.
The fact is, it's not a good book adaptation, the original movie is both more captivating in the way the plot unfolds, the puppets are in my opinion far scarier than the CGI, and while the actors were all pretty good for the most part, I'm sorry but they just can't compare to the original's who were almost born to play those roles.
And To be clear I could care less about them casting black actors. I'm not at all opposed to this. But I'm sorry, Chris Rock was not a good choice for narrator. Especially if you are a grown up who grew up with the real Chris Rock. It just doesn't work. There were much better choices for this movie. It seems SO forced. Like Will Smith singing Arabian Nights.
Disappointing to say the least but for a cheesy one time Halloween flick for people who love Halloween movies I guess there's worse out there...
Airplane! (1980)
40 years later...
And this movie is still clever, relevant, and laugh out loud funny. Considering how slapstick, simple, and elementary much of the humor is, combined with the numerous references to 70s pop culture that many might miss today, this is an extremely impressive feat. One of the best parody movies of all time, if not THE best, and I will argue that all the way until this plane lands.
Sealab 2021 (2000)
They just don't make 'em like they used to....
I mean, this show is pretty much pure brilliance stacked on top of pure brilliance. If you don't find it funny you either a) have no soul or b) didn't know Grizzlebee's delivers...Cowabunga!
Admittedly it wasn't the same without Captain Murphy, and while I do appreciate they tried to continue the series, and I do love Tornado Shanks, it had clearly hit its peak and it was best they just move on. Sadly. Metalocalypse however should have never stopped. Never!!!
The Twilight Zone: The Last Night of a Jockey (1963)
Good but not great
Something about this episode just didn't quite pull me in, I'm really not sure why. I mean it is still great especially for it's time, Rooney is always fun to watch, but compared to other stories I found this one a little more...uninspired, I guess? I LOVED how they kept changing the size of the objects in the room to make Rooney appear taller, very clever move in an age before CGI, but it just seemed a little basic. I couldn't quite figure out why his conscience was so...cruel. He was acting more like a paranoid schizophrenic than someone genuinely communicating with their mind that also grants wishes...if that makes any sense.
You'll probably like it but just thought I'd share my experience, again it's hardly the worst TZ episode, but something about it just didn't grab me like other "paranormal" episodes have....(admittedly I prefer the sci-fi/tech story lines more but these are fun too).
Prank Encounters (2019)
Why the 1-10 user review system is severely flawed...
For one look at how many people openly admit they only watched one episode but decided to come here and give it a 1/10 review.
But more importantly, do you guys REALLY think that in this day and age, using a super popular actor, they would be able to fake a show like this? That if it was as obvious as you say it is nobody would investigate further? Do you know how easy that would be to find out? In 2019, the digital age, surrounded by cameras, with famous child actors, you simply can't get away with something like that, it's impossible. It's painfully obvious how many of you have no idea what the internet, ie people, are capable of finding out. This show would've been busted before it was even released.
The creator of the show came forth and swore it was real. If he were to make this claim and it were in fact fake, I guarantee, GUARANTEE, it would have been revealed by now. I am 100% positive of this.
It's actually a pretty funny and interesting show. As another reviewer said there are only so many places you can go to casually see a true reaction to fear. I normally dislike extreme pranks, never got into Punk'd, some of the stuff on youtube is borderline sociopathic, but I LOVED Scare Tactics back in the day and this is clearly the spiritual successor. It's extreme in all the right ways without being ass-hole'ish. The only real difference is it's one prank per episode instead of two, which has its own pros/cons.
I do think the show made some painful mistakes, especially ones that ignorant people wouldn't be able to see beyond, hence the surprisingly low score. Mistakes I do hope they are able to rectify in a season 2.
My own complaint is the frequent cuts to Gatten in the van "directing" the action. Occasionally it's fine but there needs to be wayyy fewer of these shots. Like way fewer. They totally kill immersion. And obviously (at least should be) Gatten isn't the head director of the show, and while he likely really is giving the q's to the actors in real time....he's doing it when he's told to. Anyone with a brain should be able to figure this out. However people who are dying for a reason to call this show out as fake will center in on something like this and ruin it for the rest of us.
The next is the paid actors are definitely on the bad side. On one hand I get why they do this. It's clear that it's some of the bad acting that actually keeps the "victims" in a somewhat normal state of mind, because if they were TOO good some of these people would genuinely freak out much sooner and run away screaming or call the police or something and there wouldn't be a show...so I actually think it's intentional. On the other hand, critics who don't seem to understand the point of the show and are looking for any way they can to call it fake will use this as their argument, and then ruin it for the rest of us. So maybe make it a 'little' less obvious but still not award winning because that's too much imo.
I don't normally write reviews but I actually liked this show, and I find it equal parts hilarious/terrifying how many people will give a 1/10 review based on a baseless opinion. If you hate the show that much because it's "fake," instead of writing a conspiracy theorists wet dream's review, prove it's fake and get it taken off completely. This is your chance to be a hero.
Except not, because if it was fake it would've been busted long, long ago. To me this seems so obvious, but I guess not everyone is aware of how easy that would actually be to do.
The Twilight Zone: The Fugitive (1962)
A beautiful perspective from a different time
First off let me say I found this episode incredibly endearing and the bond between Jenny and Old Ben truly warmed my heart. Sure I didn't leave the episode with a "wow that was crazy AWESOME!" but instead a "wow, that was beautiful. True friendship!"
That said, one of my favorite things about watching TZ is the social aspects that vary tremendously from today. For instance in this episode one of the "cops" takes a cigarette and casually ashes it on a stranger's carpet floor. I know, I know it seems mundane, but in 2019 something as inconsequential and simple as this would be considered unacceptable by most standards, the man would either be scolded or not allowed back, but back then this was completely normal. Fascinating! The patriarchy in TZ is also hilarious to say the least. But I digress...
Obviously the big one I'm referring to is the old man and the little girl. I find it quite unfortunate how almost all of the low reviews here comment on this aspect being creepy and the main reason they didn't like it, when in fact I think it's one of the best parts of the episode. Now hold your judgement and let me explain. These viewers forgot to detach themselves from the present to instead take a modest look at the past (or they expect some mind blowing twist at the end of every episode, when that's not what TZ is about). It takes us back to a time when an adult COULD be a friend with a sweet little girl and nothing malicious was thought of it. 99% of old men would be just as kind and comforting to Jenny as Old Ben, but today that 1% has ruined it for the 99% and a completely innocent relationship like this could never exist. But, these were different times, and I think that's really cool.
Personally I find this idea quite beautiful. I didn't grow up during this time, the only world I've known is the one they showed us videos about in elementary school on how to stay safe when at the park, so to be able to to see on a TV show such an open and loving relationship between not an old man and a little girl, but two, dare I say, "human" beings, just trying to be nice to each other, was extremely refreshing and added an entirely new layer of what makes the original Twilight Zone episodes great.
I think we've forgotten what that's like in the modern world, and this episode is a comfortable and kind reminder of it. And yeah, it also has a fun little twist at the end! Also when Jenny asked Old Ben if he was a communist, I laughed a bit.