Change Your Image
gofastergetrounder
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
I Shouldn't Be Alive: Science of Survival (2006)
These were great
I am frustrated because I cannot find a way to watch these episodes again. They had s ton of great information in them. Les Stroud showed what the people in "Lost in the Snow" (season 1, episode 2) should have done instead of what they did. That was truly invaluable information. For example, he showed a really smart way that they could have signaled for help without leaving their vehicle. Also, the guy who showed the Amazon survival stuff was really good too. I thought the "Science of Survival" spin on the existing episodes of "I smShouldn't Be Alive" was not only really entertaining, but incredibly valuable. They really need to make these available again, through DVD, streaming, whatever.
Designated Survivor (2016)
Driveled it Away
Interesting idea for show. I'd watch Maggie Q all day; good actress and quite attractive. Unfortunately, they decided to relentlessly pound politically correct drivel rather than focus on entertainment. Quite quickly the Maggie Q story line became the only one that wasn't annoying. Shortly after that, the pompous political viewpoint haranguing made watching the show intolerable.
Alpha (2018)
Stunning Schlock
From all appearances, Alpha was written by a class of fourth graders. The first 45 minutes in particular are exquisitely bad. It isn't just the writing: The costumes are comical.
A potentially interesting premise, the domestication of wolves, executed about as poorly as imaginable.
Impressive animal training, but the there is no good audience for the movie. Too violent for young kids. Too stupid and poorly done for anyone older than third grade.
Game of Thrones (2011)
Euron Greyjoy??????
This is a great show, but the casting decisions in some cases are incomprehensible.
Whoever plays Euron Greyjoy has all the gravitas of Richard Simmons.
So bad he detracts significantly from the show.
Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
Great movie
This is just a terrific movie. I rented it for my daughter when she was much younger. We watched it twice when she was around the age of 4 or so. Thoroughly enjoyed it then.
I mentioned it to her recently and she didn't really remember it. Consequently, we watched it again a short while ago (she is now 11).
She really enjoyed it and I did too. I almost never watch movies more than once. This one I have seen three times and enjoyed it each time.
Highly recommended.
Bosch (2014)
Great One!
I have really enjoyed this show. Roughly 1 week after finding it, I am already a couple of episodes into season 3--it is pretty addictive. I streamed 5 episodes in a row one day.
One thing that I particularly like is that they show enough information about the investigations to enable it to have good coherence. You get to see the the step by step developments: The investigations have logic to them.
I liked the series so much I started reading the books. The books seem similar in providing details that enable you to coherently follow the investigations.
Don't miss this one!
*****************
Having now watched most of Season 3 and read a couple more of the books, I can give a very enthusiastic recommendation to both. The series does a nice job of capturing the tone of the books and also providing the coherent details of the investigations that the books do.
I upped my rating from a 9 to a 10 because I decided that although Bosch wasn't perfect, there really wasn't any other crime/mystery show I could think of that I enjoyed as much. "The Killing" was equally excellent, particularly the "First" season story (i.e., the first two seasons), but man that was a dark series. The first 3 seasons of "The Wire" were also excellent, but for sheer engaging and enjoyable watching, Bosch was better.
I am delighted they are doing a 4th Season and given the strength of the series to this point, I hope they continue doing many more.
Operation Dunkirk (2017)
Good-- for a High School Film Class Project
This movie is quite good for a high school film class project.
It certainly wouldn't be considered good measured against any other standard, but for high school students making a movie for the first time, it is a pretty good effort.
Uh, I'm not positive it was made by high school students, but from the quality of the writing, the production, photography, and the directing it seems like it almost has to be.
I do think they must have subcontracted out the bridge-blowing sequence to middle-schoolers. Not very sharp middle-schoolers at that. Certainly one of the dumbest, most poorly researched and executed sequences of all time.
I've got to say that I don't know for sure that this was a high school production, but I'm thinking how could it have been anything else?????
I felt sorry for the actors. It isn't that the acting was in any way, shape, or form good: It wasn't. In fact, compared to normal professional productions, I would be inclined to call the acting "frightfully bad." But, in comparison to the script writing, directing, etc. in this movie, the acting was downright stupendous.
I'm not sure how much they spent making this movie, but I feel quite certain it wasn't much at all.
I am COMPLETELY certain that they didn't spend nearly, nearly enough. Each painful scene is painfully nursed to get the maximum amount of time possible out of it, whether it warrants it or not (in nearly every case, a definitive "IT DOESN'T!" I have a feeling very, very little footage was left on the cutting room floor.
Or maybe it was a "can we make a movie in one day" project . . . .
If it wasn't high schoolers, the "one day" thing might explain this juvenile, lame excuse for a film.
Dunkirk (2017)
Good subject idea, really mediocre result
It is worth a look. The subject had all sorts of potential. The production and photography is generally well done.
Unfortunately, it just really doesn't work. It apparently attempted to isolate on a couple individual story lines, but the characters are for the most part very poorly developed.
Mark Rylance/Mr. Dawson/Father/Boat Captain was pretty much the only character that was developed enough to hold any interest. Tip for Producers/Directors: If you get Kenneth Branagh for your movie, use him one hell of a lot more and better than they did in "Dunkirk."
No one else was developed enough to be of any real interest.
Furthermore, I didn't think the movie did a very good job of showing either how desperate the situation was for the soldiers stranded there or the magnitude and difficulty of the evacuation. Near the end, it is like a "oh yeah, here comes the Cavalry" with some rote shots of some smaller vessels coming to evacuate.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I was distinctly dissatisfied with this movie. Not a horrible movie, but definitely one I found disappointing.
Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
Finally Someone Speaks Out
The US agricultural industry not only causes huge environmental and human health problems, they get virtually a free pass from any meaningful regulatory oversight and rarely get criticized or exposed. This movie does a great job of showing some of the facets of harm and lack of control or attention paid to this problem.
Just a tremendously huge breath of fresh air.
What the Health (2017)
Not perfect, but very needed and refreshing
I have read some valid criticisms in prior comments essentially complaining about the treatment of eliminating meat as a panacea for all diet based problems. I think those criticisms have some validity.
There is, however, enough great info in this movie about points that are all-too-rarely discussed, that I am willing to cut it some slack. The good and very important points greatly outweigh the flaws, despite some of them being quite noticeable.
All in all I thought it was a great movie about a very important subject. I also recommend watching the "sibling" movie "Cowspiricy" which I actually found even better than this movie.
Together, both movies are providing a lot of hugely valuable information about subjects that receive far, far, far too little attention.
The government continuously bends people whatever direction the agricultural industry wants-- forwards, backwards, etc. People really need to understand how little regulatory and safety oversight of food products actually exists. I'm an attorney who has worked on environmental and safety issues for over 25 years: I'm still shocked by how poorly regulated the agricultural industry is.
Blackhat (2015)
robk-952-110475 -- thanks for review
Thanks to robk-952-110475 for his very thoughtful review and details.
It is great to have the scoop from someone who knows the scoop.
I thought it was a really good movie, but I will be interested in watching it after reading your review.
I will keep an eye on those details.
Appreciate the effort to inform others.
Miller's Crossing (1990)
Singular Technique -- Exquisite Result
I would echo the review of Pclark in nearly all aspects.
I want to add something that I am going to flag as a "spoiler" even though it isn't about the plot or the movie, per se: It is about technique.
Miller's Crossing does an absolutely brilliant job of taking things to an exaggerated level (dialog, plot, characters, everything), but never crossing the line where you would not take it seriously while watching it.
The Coen Brothers just weave magic around the hyperbole line: They run right up against it, but never quite cross it.
Miller's Crossing is truly a singular film: You will find nothing else like it anywhere.
Deadwood (2004)
It's *&%#ing Literature
Deadwood manages to transcend its medium: It is worthy of being called literature.
During the first two episodes, the language almost dissuaded me from watching further. I am very glad I continued to watch.
Deadwood ranks at the very top of the Mini-series genre. I'd put a couple up there with it, including The Wire, The Killing, Line of Duty, and the first few seasons of Game of Thrones and the first 3 seasons of Lost, all of which I found massively entertaining.
I would not, however, rank anything above it. It is huge. What an unfathomable shame they didn't do more than three seasons.
Monk (2002)
TV Shows don't get any better than Monk
Monk was a wonderful concept. It works nearly perfectly for TV.
I tend to like Mini-Series that develop and need to be watched in order from beginning to end.
Monk isn't that kind of show. Instead, once you have the basic idea, you can watch and thoroughly enjoy any of the shows independently.
The concept was strong enough, the writing good enough, and the acting skilled enough that the show managed to stay fresh essentially throughout the series. Sure, some ups and downs, but uniformly strong. That is really tough to do: Even the best TV shows have trouble staying fresh.
I'd put it up with Arrested Development in terms of the amount it made me genuinely laugh. High praise indeed.
The Good Guys (2010)
Genuinely Funny
I didn't see this series until it was on Netflix, but what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be.
First of all, it is a comedy, pure and simple. Two totally dissimilar cops, both out of favor with their bosses, getting assigned the worst cases, and managing latch onto real cases, which they solve about as messily as possible.
Virtually every episode had me laughing out loud, sometimes multiple times per episode.
Boy did this one fall through the cracks. You just don't get comedy this good on TV very often. About the only other show I can think of that made me laugh this much was "Arrested Development."
Watch it! You won't be sorry.
Making a Murderer (2015)
Stunning -- Must See
I can think of very, very few things that remotely approach Making a Murderer in terms of return per minute of viewing. Boy does it make you think.
I'm going to assume that it is slanted, left stuff out that would make the outrageous official actions/inactions more comprehensible. But, even assuming that, you are still left with the inescapable feeling that there are many things in the legal system that are badly, badly, badly, badly, broken.
Boy does Wisconsin law enforcement and the Wisconsin court system in particular come off looking like some corrupt morons. I say that despite being an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin Law School: My predilection would be to defend the judicial system in Wisconsin.
But, after watching this, no can do. The thing that makes me sick is that even after all these issues have been raised, there is apparently a concerted effort to sweep it under the rug rather than daylight it. Collectively, just revolting behavior on the part of law enforcement in particular and the judicial system.
Yeah, the protagonist is pretty trailer park, but the real low-life trailer park trash in this show can be found in law enforcement and the judicial system.
The Killing (2011)
Unique and Excellent
The Killing reflects a genuine, and successful, attempt to make a series that would make a lasting impression.
Boy does it. The mood created is just amazing -- drags you way, way in.
The acting is excellent. Joel Kinnaman just becomes a character named Holder--one of the more impressive acting performances I have ever seen. I'm definitely watching for him in the future.
The first story (who killed Rosie Larsen) takes the first two seasons, but is well worth every minute. How many times have you watched one story extending over that long a period and when it was over think to yourself "that was great!!!" ???? My list of those is pretty short.
I tried to figure it out as it went along. I didn't. But, it still felt totally fair.
The third season is quite good too. The fourth season isn't quite as strong, due in part to a poor supporting actor choice, but still will have you watching episode after episode.
Life (2007)
Good Concept gets bogged down; Makeup Laughably Bad
The concept of a cop returning to the force with an eye to finding out who set him up has a ton of potential. Unfortunately, they didn't get the most out of that concept.
This show made a strategic error -- trying to wrap too many short (single episode) cases as a major part of the plot time. Almost none of those were interesting-- perfunctory, blah, blah, blah detective stuff you see everywhere.
More annoying, they detracted from what should have been plot time on the framed/set up element, which had a lot of potential.
In short, I kept watching episodes now and again, but it took me a long time to get through the series. The really good series I have found on Netflix I would watch episode after episode until I worked through the series (e.g., Wallander, The Fall).
One thing I found HUGELY annoying was that whoever did the makeup did a TERRIBLE job. Damien Lewis had so much obvious lipstick on at times I felt like he should have been in a dress too. Most unsubtle use of lipstick and makeup that I have seen since that one scene in "Wild at Heart."
Makeup is not something I would normally look at or consider, much less make any comment about. But, in this case, it was really, really, really poorly done--enough to distract from the series as a whole. A really stupid mistake to make--didn't they watch the prior episodes before they shot the next ones?????
Battle Creek (2015)
For TV Series, amazingly good
I just finished watching all of the far, far, far too few episodes of Battle Creek. I don't bother to write many reviews on things, but in this case I decided that I should alert people to how good this series actually was.
Don't be put off by the fact that it only was around for one season: Battle Creek is excellent. In fact, it is just about as good as I have ever seen TV get.
Great premise, great writing, great characters, great acting. Did I mention it was hilarious too?
What an terrible shame this show didn't get more than the all-too brief run it did.
Unfortunately, I didn't see it on TV: Instead I watched the series on Netflix. I say that is unfortunate because I would have made a point of watching this, even on regular TV with commercials. One of those shows that I would have happily supported.
Longmire and The Killing had some extra episodes done by Netflix after they got cancelled on regular network TV. I hope that the same happens to Battle Creek.
I highly, highly recommend watching Battle Creek.