InsightfulCritic Reviews

Caroline (I) (2018)

What was the point of this short?

[3/10 · 16 October 2023]

What was the point of this short? I mean, very little happened. It started abrupt and ended abrupt. So there was no beginning, middle. Just an ending which was unsatisfying. Everything that happened was over the top forced writers drama.

I didn't believe a thing that happened. A mom just left the kids in the car to go in and see a tax dude in scolding heat? I mean, really? Even if i believed that, once Caroline told them where the mom was, they should have gone to get her. And then the overreaction of the crowd, getting into physical fights etc.

The kids seemed fine, because they could have opened the door at any time, which she did anyway.

I never sympathized with the mom, nor any of the random people in the parking lot.

Everyone says the kids were amazing, but they literally had no idea they were being filmed, at least the two youngest and with Caroline they just grabbed candid moments of her.

This has potential to go somewhere, but it didn't. Instead it just frustrated me with one bad decision after another.

It was trying WAY too hard to be dramatic and ended up being melodramatic.

He's Expecting (2022– )

This show is terrible..

[1/10 · 5 May 2022]

Seriously, the concept would have fine IF it was meant to be a joke, but not a serious drama. They already a movie about a pregnant "man" called Junior which was funny because the premise was absurd.

But now we are supposed to take it seriously.

Sorry, can't do it.

Prototype (2022)

Incredibly laughable...

[1/10 · 5 April 2022]

You know when movies are so bad you actually laugh. This was just below that, which means it was super ridiculously bad, but not enough to have fun laughing at it. It was just bad.

Heart Shot (2022)

Ahhhh what?

[1/10 · 26 February 2022]

Did I just watch? Can we start making music that have some reality in them? This was one exercise in diversity hiring after the other glazed with toxic masculinity (sarcasm).

You can easily SKIP this...

Good Kisser (2019)

BEYOND HORRIBLE!!

[1/10 · 18 February 2022]

It was one long scene that went nowhere. It was a movie called "good Kisser' and there was a lot of kissing without ACTUAL kissing, i.e a lot of lip pecking. I hate movies where actors pretend to kiss and it's just a lot of open mouth lip touching thinking we don't know the difference.

If you're going to make a film called Good Kisser make sure the actors are actually KISSING. Geez, this was embarrassing.

I am not even going to comment on the terrible production and acting.

SKIP!

The United States of Insanity (2021)

Too long, too repetitive..

[3/10 · 23 January 2022]

Too long, too repetitive.. and it didn't end the way I expected. To me, the climax, which in all fairness they couldn't control, wasn't there. They tried for a victorious ending, but it didn't match the hype they had set up, so it was anticlimactic. For that reason, the rest of the movie didn't hold up. This should have been 20-30 minutes shorter. 1.40 hours was too long. Once I got to know who they were they kept stretching that part longer and longer. There wasn't enough drama to justify the length. This should have been done as a vice short subject film, not a feature-length film.

Real Time with Bill Maher (2003– )

Haven't watched in years...

[1/10 · 23 January 2022]

Haven't watched in years... I stopped because the show became boring predictable and a one-sided hate fest. I just checked in the recent episode. It is still that. I mean, Bill is STILL taking about Trump throughout his whole show. Get over it already. Bill has become so politically delusional it's quite sad.

The whole time he kept talking about Trump's "insurrection" on Jan 6th and outrageous it was. Then he spent a segment on how to the democrats can cheat and overthrow an election. He suggested it didn't matter because rules are there to break. He suggested Kamala Harris ignore the results if Trump won in 2024 and just throw away the electors. In other words, he wants to do everything he accuses Trump of doing. And he sees nothing wrong with this, of course.

If you are still talking about Trump at this point and predicting a stolen election in 2024 you need help. That and other reasons makes this show embarrassing.

The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022)

The Book of PROBLEMS of Boba Fett

[1/10 · 20 January 2022]

I could write a book about the problems with this series. All the mystique of Boba Fett is gone. It's like the people never bothered to watch Star Wars before making this.

Seriously, Temuera Morrison was JANGO Fett, NOT Boba, so why on Earth would they think it was a good idea to hire that actor who never played Boba, but instead his dad. It makes no sense. This would be like having Hayden Christiansen come back to play Luke Skywalker.

It would have been better to continue Boba's BOUNTY hunting and not see his face, both of which were eliminated in this "local gang war" series.

It is so cringe to watch and it hurts the amount of money they spend on it.

I'm not gonna bore everyone with endless problems. Many other reviewers have pointed them out.

Disney just can't get it right. This is strictly to satisfy desperate fanboys dying for anything Star Wars, even if it was Boba Fett working as a busboy at Mos Eisley's Cantina.

PS, they are actually adding EDM in Star Wars. The cast and characters are like out of a Burning Man festival. It is RIDICULOUS! I am going to stop now because I could go on for hours with the problems with this.

Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (2018 TV Special)

How is this funny?

[1/10 · 19 December 2021]

It's just a angry feminist spewing out her anger. I don't see the the humor. If you read the transcript of the "standup" it would read like some pseudo academic angry vent about men.

The only funny thing is that most feminist lesbians dress and look like men, which is a bit ironic. They also seem to complain about things that really shouldn't matter, but as they read into things way more than anything else through a paranoid prism that everyone is out to get them their resulting anger stifles any potential humor that might have come out.

Survivor: Do or Die (2021) Season 41, Episode 11

The irony is that Suvivor S1 would be cancelled by S41

[1/10 · 5 December 2021]

Juxtapose Season 1 with Season 41. Very few, if any, of the cast from Season 1 would ever be cast in Season 41. Imagine Rudy showing up for Survivor an audition in 2021? They wouldn't even consider him because "his kind" has been made up to be the enemy of the tiny vocal minority that controls the culture today. Susan hawk? No way, too crass. Richard Hatch? Not even close, despite him being gay. He is way too politically incorrect for today's TV.

Gervase Peterson? Not woke enough with social justice. Sean Kenniff? Too much of a cisgender straight male that hasn't accepted an arbitrary white privilege.

And this is why Survivor has lost its mojo. Not because the audience and country have changed, because they haven't. But because a tiny tiny minority of newly woke college grads that took over Twitter 5-6 years back now influences everything we see and hear today. I cannot imagine Survivor being around another 1-2 seasons the way it's going.

The foregoing and the fact the show seem too manipulated with too many twists and turns has led to its demise and that is such a shame because I used to turn into Survivor because I didn't feel like I was being preached to.

Soul Pursuit (2021)

Worst movie ever?

[1/10 · 28 October 2021]

Yes, this is probably the worst movie ever made.

Eric Roberts is hardly in it and when he is it looks like it was shot on a 90s camcorder. The convoluted story follows a hiker through the woods, but trying to figure out what it is about, good luck.

It could have been bad as in bad funny, but, no, it's really just bad. This looks like it was shot and edited by student.

Fake Famous (2021 TV Movie)

Interesting, but a missed opportunity

[5/10 · 14 October 2021]

You can tell that literally each one of these people that showed up for the casting call was part of the new narcissistic woke crowd.

A lot of "I feel like." Because today it's all feelings and no thinking.

Notice that the majority that flock around "famous people" are teenagers because they are coming of age trying to figure out who they are. That lust and admiration go away once you grow a bit older. At least for people that find their own identity through a career and/or family.

Famous just means you are known. It's usually related to something positive. INFamous is related to something negative, like a famous killer.

The cast met the new arbitrary diversity requirements. If you didn't fit those standards you are not included and they certainly made sure they added liberal political agenda.

Overall, this was too repetitive and slow. I think this was a missed opportunity. And what made it worse was the underlying political woke agenda, but what do you expect from NYT?

Essentially all the product companies need to sue these influences for committing fraud by pretending they have a bunch of followers that they don't.

Also, there is no way this is going to last. It gives a lot of the so-called influences a false sense of security of financial stability. The filmmakers are guilty too and I hope they gave back whatever money and products to the companies afterward.

This is a 5 for me as I knew social media is plagued with fake accounts, pics, bots etc.

No Time to Die (2021)

W007KE

[1/10 · 7 October 2021]

Bond went totally woke... and now will go broke.. too bad how they ended this franchise.

I hated the ending.

SKIP!! Unless you want to keep seeing political correct mindless action.

Survivor: A New Era (2021) Season 41, Episode 1

This is just getting ridiculous

[1/10 · 23 September 2021]

CBS and Probst think they can succeed by catering to less than 1% of the population while pissing of their loyal fans like me with the never-ending political correctness and social justice.

You know the show is done when they allow one fool to object to change "guys" after 20 years and 40 seasons.

And of course, no one spoke up because people are so scared of getting "canceled." The focus on immutable characteristics is offensive to me.

Survivor: You failed!!!

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

Go woke, go broke..

[1/10 · 17 July 2021]

Where do I start? It was just terrible from beginning until the end. Le Bron has no business acting.

Happiness (1998)

Why did I laugh out loud?

[7/10 · 14 June 2021]

The subject matter is so taboo, but yet I found myself laughing hysterically throughout, especially with Billy. I LOVE Welcome To The Dollhouse and I saw this afterward and this was equally as funny.

Todd Solondz definitely has a niche for dark humor, like really dark. Some of the stories were not as interesting or funny as the others, but nevertheless, this movie is a must-watch for anyone that likes dark comedies. The opening was a little slow and I don't think they really needed it. In fact, I think they could have cut it by 20 min or so and it would have been much better.

Solondz is a super dark version of Woody Allen and we need voices like this in cinema even though it won't be for everyone.

The Murder Tapes (2019– )

THE most frstrating show

[1/10 · 3 June 2021]

The show is just ridiculous. They take forever to tell a story and it's all meandering. They know who did it very early on but they still feel the need to fill up the show with a bunch of "suspects" they know didn't do it, but to try to keep us in suspense.

Also, I literally just watched an episode where a woman had been shot inside the house and calling them for help and the cops didn't feel the need for ANY urgency. They just starting to chat outside and update other cops and take their time before even entering the house and instead of hurrying to save the life of the girl they decided to take their time to check the whole house. No common sense whatsoever. All "procedures" regardless of the real-time circumstances.

So frustrating watching this show. It's 5% of what First 48 Hours is, which is where this show got their idea from.

If could have been an amazing show but they need better editing and storytelling. The reason why the first 48 works is because the show is shot in real-time and moves forward, unlike this, which goes back and forth in time to create a LONG show. In other words, they will show interviews from weeks after the crime of people that they knew didn't do it, instead of just doing straight-up real-time narrative and let it unfold the way it actually did unfold.

Another problem is they show us the testimony of witnesses telling us what happened, and then they cut to a cop telling us again what the witness just said like we didn't hear it. This is the worst part of reality shows. They SHOW us an event and then they cut to people telling us what we just saw or heard. It's ridiculous.

Faces (I) (1968)

2 hours of yelling and laughing

[2/10 · 7 May 2021]

This was just unwatchable. The scenes went on and on and on and on and on, well you get the point. And there were very few points to any of it. It was basically yelling and then laughing the whole time.

I would normally give this type of unbearable film 1 star, but I give it 2 stars for trying something different, albeit unsuccessful. If you take Jack Woltz's scene from the Godfather with him yelling at Tom Hagen and you let that scene run for about 2 hours, you get Faces. (John Marley played Woltz in Godfather). It's like stretching out an SNL funny skit that is funny for 3 minutes into a feature film.

The acting wasn't even that good. It just felt like bad improv. There is such thing as bad improv, which is people forcing out what they say and trying to be interesting, but it's inauthentic, like a badly staged prank on youtube.

I have been hearing about how great and real John Cassavetes' films are for a long time and never took an interest. With this being the first I am now reluctant to watch any of his other films, because of what a letdown it was. The opening scene went on for like 30 minutes and it wasn't that interesting.

Being different for the sake of just being different isn't enough to keep my interest. Especially when you try so hard to make it real it actually comes off as forced.

Cops (1989–2023)

Great show .. too bad they cancelled it

[10/10 · 14 June 2020]

Great reflection of real life of what cops deal with. That is why they cancelled it, because it shows reality. And cops deal with a lot of B-S. You can almost click on any episode and you will see criminals resist arrest etc putting their own life and others in danger.

Political correctness is taking over this country. Too bad.

Dave Chappelle: 8:46 (2020 TV Special)

This was sooo cringeworthy

[1/10 · 13 June 2020]

I have been a fan of Chappelle for years and he always hits it out of the park with uncomfortable truths mixed with very funny jokes and material. I have no idea what happened to him, but this was not even a comedy routine. It was an angry rant for almost 30 minutes.

I can't think of one joke he told. He scolded certain people, but in a mean and malicious way.

My jaw almost dropped the more I saw. I am not sure why anyone would praise this, but it may be the emperor has no clothes on and he seems to be such a cultural icon that is beyond approach of any criticism.

It was unfunny and there weren't anything interesting take on anything that happened. It could have been an interview from one of the rioters ranting and cursing people out.

The Hunt (II) (2020)

No, it was just terrible

[1/10 · 29 March 2020]

This was supposed to be funny? I couldn't make it past 15 min. It was just poorly executed. Go watch JoJo Rabbit instead if you want dark humor WELL executed.

The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth (2016–2023)

Hilariously biased

[1/10 · 12 February 2020]

It is so obvious how biased the show is. And even funnier how many people have been wrong. They constantly paint Trump as a lunatic, and democrats are heroes.

The unnecessary cursing from the hosts is just done to make it feel more authentic, but it actually makes it more phony. All the cataclysmic predictions that just never happened. It is just hilarious how Trump has kept winning over and over again. Democrats always use feelings and emotions to advance their agenda, like with illegal aliens sad stories, but disregarded American's stories and needs and rights. All identity politics, race/gender over substance and merit.

I think it's best to watch this now after all the predictions made and see how laughable these people are. I wish they had a balanced group of hosts and the show would be so much better. Democrats overplay their hand over and over again.

They were foaming over Kamala Harris, Beto, De Blasio, Warren etc and look where they are now. and they never showed Trump's huge arenas filled with people, but they made sure if there were more than a few thousand at a democrat rally they showed every one of them.

How they are consistently wrong over and over again and still have a show is beyond me.

I literally laughed out loud so many times of the lunacy that some of these people said. Trump a Russian agent. 😂 They missed the Mueller Report, Mueller testimony (except a few seconds because it was all favorably to Trump.

Mark McKinnon seems to be the only one to remotely appear balanced. Alex Wagner and John Heilemann are just ridiculous with their overt bias. And I think Wagner's addition actually ruined the show.

The opening brunch is so annoying and nothing but a food commercial for the "best food ever tasted." It's phony and overly written.

The show is so deceptively edited. What a shame.

The latest season seems a bit less biased, maybe because they are focusing on democratic primaries.

Uncut Gems (2019)

An unmitigated disaster

[1/10 · 17 December 2019]

This has to be one of the worst and most disappointing films I have ever seen. 2 hours of yelling and screaming. What a mess. Sandler played one of THE most annoying characters in the history of cinema.

Too many non-actors just yelling. So disappointing. The directors went from their last great film to this insanely horrible piece of junk.

It was predictable, annoying, unsympathetic, confusing, frustrating. The biggest loser in film history, Sandler's character. And unlike Good Time, Fargo, Straight Time and other films where the lead is a total loser, here it just didn't work at all. Sandler was painfully annoying, unfunny and like listening to nails scratching a chalk board.

The Mandalorian (2019– )

Oh man this is just horrifying to watch..

[1/10 · 14 December 2019]

The writing and acting is beyond terrible... Such a shame to see the amazing set designs, props, wardrobes, SFX etc to be ruined by the out of place bad music, horrible characters and actors.

And the worst part is it gets worse every episode.. the latest episode was a joke. What is this even about? Just random little stories with no relations to each other?

I literally have to force myself to watch this, and it's painful.

2 Days in the Valley (1996)

It's all over the place trying hard to be Pulp Fiction

[2/10 · 9 December 2019]

This came right after the success of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction and every film maker wanted to copy Quintin's success. This, however, was all over the place.

When James Spade shoots Danny Aiello in the stomach who then "dies" within 3 seconds by closing his eyes. Just nonsense. People don't die that quickly unless they are shpt in the head, and even if you're shot in the body you can live a while before you bleed to death.

It's just bad direction, which should be blamed for most bad movies, because even a bad script can be made better with a great director. I just hate movies where there is not an ounce of .reality in them. Too many story lines and characters.

And even with good actors, their direction was just so bad they came off as bad.

Go watch Get Shorty instead.