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I'm Much Obliged (1936)
A Time Before Audiences Became Pathetically Jaded
My headline says it all. But I fell in love with George Dobbs merely because he looked fantastic in his clothes. The 20's, 30's & 40's were the superior decades for men's fashion. Plus his voice had a familiar, sincere Bolger-esque quality.
But my romantic entanglements don't end with he... i also fell deeply in love with The Heat Waves right from the start. Rhythm is Our Business is one of my fave tunes & their cover is memorable. Then when they came back for a costumed & orchestra accompanied tap number!?... Well, I was sunk, gate. Now I find myself searching the world wide web for these men's names and have come up completely too short. So, I'll make it a mission to try and remedy that.
Death and Other Details (2024)
2 Stars is Generous
Mandy Patinkin gives this show clout but it also makes it clear that even a distinguished actor as he is sometimes takes a job for the money. That's all fine and good, by the way.
But I found the writing so stale, contrived and derivative. So much so that I am pretty darn sure they use flashbacks to confuse the audience, This way viewers don't noticed the plot holes that would otherwise be glaringly obvious.
Also... man the lighting sucks. It looks like a beer commercial or worse... an industrial. Even the music sounds so much like a White Lotus rip-off that I am surprised they're not being sued.
Renfield (2023)
Great Premise Poorly Executed
The first 10 minutes we SO PROMISING! The combination of great casting of the 2 leads, great makeup/hair and awesome reproduction of memorable scenes from the original 1931 Dracula made me wet my pants.
But after those short glorious minutes it all went downhill like a concrete gocart. Awkwafina is not good enough yet to handle a starring role. She's very likable. She's just not capable, yet.
The premise is fantastic, but the writing is really unimaginative. The premise deserved better.
It's reminiscent of What We Do In The Shadows, VERY. But WWDITS is more fun. You can tell when writers give up trying when the F word is used so much. And I'm also pissed off that they made me sound like a crotchety old coot saying that. But it's true... AF.
Reality (2023)
BORRRING AF
There was no script, just TRANScript. It was as exciting as listening to an audio recording of an interrogation... which some of this "film" actually was.
There are solid performances by the actors is about the only positive I can say, other than the editors kept it at less than an hour and a half, which I greatly appreciate!
It would have been a better movie if perhaps the subject had any charisma or charm or SOMETHING sympathetic at all. She had security clearance and she was stupid and she deserved what she got.
After watching this movie I feel like I wasted 90 minutes that I can never get back.
Nope (2022)
Should Anyone See It? um... NOPE.
I love monsters from outer space movies! But this one is fecal matter.
30 minutes in; just GET to the action already. Every good scifi movie gets going within 15 minutes.
60 minutes in; One of the stupidest scenes I've ever seen in a movie. Considering abandoning it altogether.
90 minutes in; Still no redeeming qualities and included real footage of animal cruelty involving a boa constrictor which strengthens my desire to leave one star and watching until the end to see what other dumb AF content there is.
120 minutes in; absolutely ZERO tension achieved in the climax and the contrivance of the wishing well was just laughable.
I didn't care for any of the characters except maybe the Fry's guy who was the only one with any appeal, but he deserved what he got for being so dumb as to join their fight.
I guess if I had to say something positive about it I will say that the movie looks a lot like M Night Shayamalan's SIGNS, which is a better film.
Gaslit (2022)
Was TEN Stars Until Ep. 7
I watched the free ep 1 on prime thinking there's no way I'm gonna be able to watch EIGHT EPISODES (?!) and was hooked! So I got the free 7 day trial and binged the final 7 over the next 2 days. It was very watchable and went by fast. I didn't care for JR as Martha nor SP as John BUT everyone else was great!... and then came episode #7. Ugh, what a piece of garbage. And episode #8, of course had to echo a little of #7, so it was a lotta BS too. All because of the GD rat. So, I feel that deducting 5 stars is appropriate. Man what a horrible idea the scenes in solitary confinement were. And Shea Whigham was nearly flawless as GiGi Liddy. Award worthy, he was.
Los Espookys (2018)
No Comprendo
I don't understand why the creators of Los Espookys would intentionally exclude an audience that can not or does not want to read television. I'm all for inclusion but if this is a political statement, it's a very weak and passive aggressive one. If you want a much better horror/comedy situation comedy watch WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. I think Los Espookys might grow to become something as well loved and well respected as WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, but the world may never know. Who knows what the freak is going on? Only Spanish speaking viewers and those who don't mind that they are missing all the action because they have to have their eyes on the closed captioning all the time.
The Staircase (2022)
Slow, Dull & a DP w/o a Meter
The cast is terrific but this should just be an MOW & not an episodic series. I found episode 1 absolutely boring. I suppose it could be that we just finished watching The Thing About Pam but, then it's just their tough luck. I really wanted to like it! I just didn't.
Strangers with Candy (1999)
GREATEST SITCOM OF ALL TIME
(#2 is Absolutely Fabulous)
Snowflakes need NOT watch Strangers With Candy! You could NEVER get this show greenlighted today & nothing like it will EVER be again! I just wonder how long it will take PC uber-sensitive snowflakes to start trying to get it banned. The writing is PURE genius. They didn't miss a single joke. Colbert, Sedaris, Dinello & the under appreciated DEBORAH RUSH are 100% brilliant.
The "film" totally SUCKED though. A 100% disappointment. I recommend NOT seeing it. It will spoil how you feel about the whole mishegoss.
The White Lotus (2021)
Fun to Watch but Script Unrealistic
I really love watching these actors and the real location completely brings me to Maui. They say "you've got to buy the premise to really relate to a script" and this one has too many simple flaws. For instance; the young groom needs the GM's phone number & he waits and waits for it to come from the hotel manager but any fool can find out who the 4 Seasons General Manager is on Google.
Also, the scene where the young groom finds the hotel manager eating the behind of the young bellman is weak. HBO is for raunch like in Girls, so why so timid in that scene? Is it because the actors refused to "go there" or did someone decide the HBO audience wouldn't accept it because it was 2 men?
But it IS an entertaining hour every week & even though Mr. White looks like he has some sketchy behavior in his past I wanna support his projects for being one of the UN embarrassing gay Amazing Race alumni.
We're No Angels (1955)
What Was Curtiz Thinking?
Why did Michael Curtiz choose such an esoteric script that was lietrally translated rather than have a skilled screenwriter "de-Francify" it? The characters all speak in language that is not normal for english speaking people of the period. It also ought to have been set in the US so audiences could identify more with the story. The cast is great but they all speak as if they're speaking in iambic pentameter.
Mannix: Hardball (1975)
The Brady Bunch Set???
I just submitted a screen shot of this episode in which I show that the show used the VERY well known living room set from The Brady Bunch which final episode was shot in 1974... and this episode of Mannix was shot in 1975! In the episode the set was shown in wide shots that I just happened to miss getting photos of from my DVR which only holds 30 minutes of program unless you record the whole episode which I didn't.
Why would they do that?
Doesn't make sense!
...my mind is boggled.
Laurel Canyon (2020)
Disappointed
You mean you can't find 3 hours of stories about Laurel Canyon so you have to retell how bands met and how songs became songs???
SEEN IT ALL BEFORE.
It promised insight as to what it was like to live in that neighborhood. But it's merely another documentary about music... snooooooooozefest.
Perry Mason (2020)
Cliches & Not Much Else
CGI cows? WTF? The dead baby & bi-wing planes were not top notch, either.
Perry Mason IS a lawyer. And the show is a courtroom drama.
Why are you calling your show Perry Mason when nothing in the show bares any resemblance to the novels or the TV show?
Is your excuse that this is Perry Mason's "origin story"?
Who in thee HECK was the genius that thought Perry Mason needed an "origin story"???
The casting of the minor celebrity roles was not good & I'd rather watch Robt Downey Jr play a washed up drunk than Rhys. His drunk was just not believable.
But Lithgow was a good "get" & Lupe is hilarious.
But a fat guy eating pumpkin pie from a woman's crotch just isn't woke OR funny, Mr.'s Van Patton & Downey Jr.
I may give it another chance with episode 2 but it really just seems like a Boardwalk Empire ripoff with not as much production talent.
Hunters (2020)
Cliches & Overacting
I stand with Auschwitz who says that this show is terrible. The production design is amateur, the writing is childish & the storylines are overdramatic and implausible, by any stretch of the imagination.
Why does Hunters use cheesy remakes of great tunes from the 70's???
If you're looking for a series that has incredible production design, great writing and amazing talent watch The Crown. Netflix has a lot better programming than Amazon...in my opinion.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
Borstein, Shaloub, Pollack? IDEAL CAST!
Alex Borstein is by far the most interesting character in the show for me. I can't get enough. Midge is OK but the thing that makes this show borderline unwatchable are the "musical interludes". they are produced with such inexperience it's embarrassing to watch. if those dancers in paris on the banks of the Seine across from the cathedral at Notre Dame were professional dancers then they were woefully misdirected. SLOPPY! but i'm pretty sure they were not dancers at all. i also felt the same when i watched the opening of season 2, episode 1. i wish they'd stop that.
High Anxiety (1977)
Ruined by the Director of Photography
Half of what makes Young Frankenstein BRILLIANT is the cinematography. Half of this film was in the hands of the Director of Photography who RUINED this film by making it look not like a Hitchcock film but like an episode of Fantasy Island.
More extraordinary performances by the funny women!
Get Out (2017)
AN LONG EPISODE OF "TWILIGHT ZONE", NOTHING MORE
I guess this film was not made for me, but I saw all the gags and "twists" coming as if i was watching an episode of The Twilight Zone WHICH, btw... the director IS reviving for TV soon. That seems to support my theory that he just borrowed from the genius of Rod Serling. I'm glad a black man is nominated for a directing oscar but i sure hope he doesn't win because it will mean oscar voters are not paying attention to the art, but the news.
I DO although, would support the lead actor winning for best actor. He was incredibly vulnerable as the intended victim!
but it bills itself as a comedy, which i saw zero proof of...but for the comic irony of a current day white family harkening back 100+ years.
Ha-ha?
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Barnum Was Not A Hero
Hugh Jackman WAYYY over glamorizes PT Barnum in this film. They should have just changed the names and some of the facts to make it total fiction, but they didn't. PT Barnum was responsible for COUNTLESS intentional & horrific deaths to circus animals starting from his circus's inception.
This film also gives saint-like motivations to PT Barnum for his using conjoined humans and animals and other "oddities" for financial gain.
Just google it to see for yourself as there are many, many reputable articles from the last few days telling the truth about this opportunistic man.
It's all very sad that Mr. Jackman didn't think this through because the cast and crew are obviously very talented and turn in some fantastic performances.
Chicago (2002)
See It On Stage!
TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. The original stage version (not the Ann Reinking stage revamp) is so much better. Each song is done more in a different style of classic vaudeville number...ventriloquist, piano number, sister act, etc. See the one-man jury & the cross- dressing Mary Sunshine! And if Roxie ain't a red-head, pass it by. the ONE perfect for the film version of CHICAGO performance is Amos, by John C Reilly. Renee Zellweger is not comedian enough for the role, Catherine Zeta Jones is GORGEOUS but she's too gorgeous and her performance is too pretty and not gritty enough, Queen Latifa plays it too soft also. there's comedy in the Mama character which is her being SUCH a bull diesel and would've been perfectly played by Orange Is The New Black's Lea DeLaria. Another thing that bothers me is that idea-less people like Paula Abdul and Rob Marshall copy Bob Fosse and claim they did it in the name of an "homage" when later pressed. even though they give no NOTICEABLE credit in the film.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016)
Choreography, YES. Laverne Cox, NO.
Kudos to the director, Kenny Ortega for making the decision to hire himself to also choreograph the film, but that was one of his ONLY good choices. I also liked very much Columbia, Riff (although he was just doing what he saw the master of the piece, Richard O'Brien do) and Eddie (who looked the part and sang amazingly, just not Elvis-like). Meh (unimpressed with), Ben Vereen (whom I love, but WTF on those eyebrows), the Usherette, the wardrobe & even Tim Curry was miscast. Maybe he should have been the cameo who started the film in the projection booth). As for Laverne Cox (whom we all admire for being one of the first, blah, blah, blah...) but why cast a woman in the part of a man transVESTITE... with big breasts? The role doesn't work unless it's played AS a man who dresses as a woman. With a man's chest. They even changed lyrics and dialog to refer to FRANK as "she" and "her"! Rupaul would've been a pretty good choice as FRANK. Although, none can compare to Tim Curry.
Making a Murderer (2015)
Karma is a bitch
We sat and watched....and watched....and watched! When was it going to deserve the high praise it was getting from so many?!?!?! The interviews that they show seem to be prompted and scripted. The interviewees are terrible actors. The Jinx is SOOOOO much more interesting than this story. His family members claim "sure, maybe he did terrible things, but he eventually admits it and fesses up". And that is their reasoning for knowing he's innocent? He's guilty of torturing animals so i have no sympathy for this son of a bitch. He can rot in jail and i hope he does. The "film makers" steal from mood and music from "Fargo" to try and give them some clout but they are hacks. Just look how many times they both greedily put their names in the credits! The Jinx is BY FAR the best crime documentary ever made. So, just watch that and accept that it just doesn't get any better than that.
The Nutcracker (1977)
Unparalleled Choreography
They rarely show this on TV anymore, but it is by far the best of them all! Misha is at the height of his airborne talents. and his choreography in the "arabian dance, Russian dance, Chinese dance, etc..." is absolutely unparalleled. it's become an obsession to see it every year at this time. i suppose they never air it on TV anymore is because it's just the best one there is out there and they want you to spend the money and rent it or buy it. but if you're a ballet fan, i'd say buy it. and if you're not a ballet fan... set your DVD and JUST WATCH THE SEQUENCE where the duo's of internationally ethnic dancers perform for Misha and Kelsey. there's a Spanish dance, an arabian dance, a Russian dance, a Chinese dance, a Russian dance and a milliton dance. each performed by a male and female duo.
American Experience: War of the Worlds (2013)
Cheesy and Irresponsible "Mock"umentary
The subject of this "documentary" (which seems more like a MOCKumentary) is my favorite real-life Halloween story of all-time. And I always thought that "American Experience" was a reputable series on PBS, but this episode has change that perception. I may never see this series the same way again. I don't think I saw any disclaimers or anything but it appears to me that they present fake interviews with horribly unskilled actors reciting words written by various real people from the late 1930's from various sources...as real as if making their own brilliant statement on Welles' original take on the media. Nice try ...for an amateur documentary ...crushing failure for an iconic series like American Experience.
It also drags on and on and on and the narrator's voice or manner is not conducive to holding an audience's attention.
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015)
Damp Cold American Summer
I love absurd comedies like Strangers With Candy & Children's Hospital. Wet Hot American Summer is god-awful. There a few good moments but I could only force myself to watch the first 5 and the final episode. I'm surprised I could sit through that many. I just kept wanting it to be good! My husband was very disgruntled whenever I would turn it on. The cast is mostly really good. Best: John Hamm & Chris Meloni. Worst: Janeane Garofalo, whom i used to enjoy. WTF happened to her talent??? If you like absurd comedies PLEASE watch the 2 aforementioned shows. Amy Sedaris & Stephen Colbert are wonderful in Strangers. Children's Hospital is still going strong.