russellm74 Reviews

The Blacklist (2013–2023)

James Spader is...

[9/10 · 16 March 2019]

The fulcrum of this show. I've never seen him act before and in this role he is delicious! The show itself has more holes than a whore house but his acting is sublime and it makes it easy to overlook the inconsistencies. Season 5, for me, started going off the rails. Even so, Raymond Reddington is one of the best characters to ever hit television and he makes even the lesser episodes worth watching. I haven't started season 6 yet and I'm hoping it gets back on track.

Numb3rs (2005–2010)

Off The Air And Still Better Than Most

[10/10 · 18 February 2019]

This show has been off the air for several years now and still holds up. This show has staying power and appeals to different generations. I like it and I'm 44. My wife likes it and she's 32. My son likes it and he's 22. We still watch it on a consistent basis. Good plots, solid characters= great show.

Dumplin' (2018)

An outstanding 10 minute stretch.

[7/10 · 21 January 2019]

It was less than expected. If you can slog through roughly the first hour it gets better. Not great but better. There is a ten minute stretch that is sublime and made the entire movie. Without that ten minute stretch I'd give the movie a 5 rating. That's how much I enjoyed those ten minutes.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The Averagers...Get 'Em All In The Movie War

[5/10 · 30 December 2018]

The movie had its moments but overall was a let down. The plot at its basic level is a good story line but the surrounding elements are bad. The humor which is usually stellar in the Avengers movies is poorly timed and poorly delivered. The story is disjointed and feels like they wanted to cram as many superheroes into the film as they could regardless if it made sense. "Two minutes for you and six minutes for you and three minutes for you." Hopefully the second movie will be the saving grace.

Face/Off (1997)

After All These Years.

[4/10 · 28 November 2018]

I really wanted to see this movie when it first came out back in 1997 and after all these years I finally watched it...unfortunately. Wow. It gets as close to awful as possible without being awful. There's some decent moments but overall it's a let down. I typically like both Cage and Travolta but neither one delivered a great performance.

Last Man Standing (2011–2021)

Love This Show But......

[10/10 · 7 October 2018]

We need to get the real Mandy Baxter back. This is a well done show. While Mike and Eve are die hard conservatives and promote those views we also get the other side with Ryan and Kristen. Well balanced show. BUT... the new Mandy is hard to take. How do we start a petition to get Molly Ephraim back? I know she had other irons in the fire by the time the show came back on but the show is less without her.

Peppermint (2018)

Why Do YOU Go See Movies?

[8/10 · 20 September 2018]

If you go to movies to see factually correct action scenes and fully connected plot lines then...well the vast majority of movies aren't for you. However, if you like being entertained, give this one a whirl. This movie is really about one thing; appealing to the basic human desire for exacting justice. Based on that criterion this movie did quite well. Did the movie stretch believability? Yes. Are you left to wonder how they got to a certain point? Yes. But if you can set that aside and enjoy what the movie is about, you're in for a good time. Jennifer Garner is always worth seeing and she brings subtle humor, stunning looks and good action to the screen.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

How did this get made?

[3/10 · 4 August 2017]

This is bad on many levels. It's inconsistent, it creates a story line that isn't compelling and is poorly constructed. Not sure how anyone could rate this above 5 stars. Mainly it's just boring. The idea of Batman V Superman is bad to begin with and the writers and director did nothing to enhance it. Man of Steel was decent but this movie was a big step down. You may be tempted to watch it but please resist. Unless you like wasting your time.

MacGyver (2016–2021)

Disappointed

[6/10 · 14 April 2017]

I only watched the first few episodes so hopefully the show has improved since then. This is a poorly executed idea. The idea for a MacGvyer reboot was great but this show has so many weak points it's hard to know where to start. Let's just say the acting is sub-par, and the writing leaves a lot to be desired. This could have been an excellent show but what I saw was something that completely missed the mark. I'm hoping it has been improved. I see it is still on so maybe they pulled a 180.