jsimon050-194-194987 Reviews

For All Mankind (2019– )

Yowsa!

[10/10 · 23 December 2022]

What a show! The creators put their kneecaps in this one! This show was recommended to me by a person 40 years my junior, and we both dug it tremendously. History and fantasy were synthesized into believable reality. I was easily willing to forgive certain gravitational inaccuracies and poor wig technology because the show did not abuse my arrogantly curated disbelief with futuristic sci-fi nonsense. In the words of the James Eugene Carey character in the comedy vehicle Dumb and Dumber, "I like it a lot!" And the ending? Forget about it! While profit motive may suggest a fourth season, I think that story-telling and the resistance to happy conclusion strongly support leaving it where it is.

Confess, Fletch (2022)

An unexpected pleasure

[10/10 · 13 November 2022]

My only complaint about this movie is that it has made the original unwatchable for me. While this may sound snarky and smug, and perhaps another word think I think I'm using correctly, it depresses me because it further makes me question the quality of so many of my adolescent favorites. Hamm is flawless. Roy Wood Jr. Acts like a seasoned professional. Marsha Gay Harden is an absolute treasure. This rendition is a thrill of smart, funny, silly, and well-acted absurdity. It makes the originals seem like the lame sequels. I'm watching it again to enjoy the performances. I rarely do that with a modern comedy.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Angel Muffin (2021) Season 11, Episode 2

Missed

[5/10 · 8 November 2021]

As Fafa Floheim might say, this episode was a bit of a stumble. In the full reality of my not personally having created any content, yet greedily lapping at the creative teat of my Hollywood betters, I still feel disappointed in this episode. It just wasn't funny. On the positive side, it was annoying. Sorry LD.

Irish Jam (2006)

Thanks for nothing

[3/10 · 19 October 2021]

I'm only 15 minutes into this movie but if Eddie Griffin does anything besides continue to set black actors back 50 years, I will eat my hat and then print a retraction.

Midnight Mass (2021)

Unsettling

[9/10 · 7 October 2021]

In the true Halloween spirit, this series really creeped me out. They brilliantly presented a traditional tale wrapped in an even older tradition. This wrapping of one creepy thing in another even creepier thing took me a while to figure out. I was distracted by my own sense of dread. Nice. I'd be more specific but I don't wanna cause spoilage.

Servant (2019–2023)

Chasing Audacity

[5/10 · 2 October 2021]

This story suffers from the inability to effectively develop a brilliant opening twist. I suspect that either great ideas continued to be added and became overwhelming, or the story was unnecessarily stretched to maximize profits, or likely both. Despite this, I found the characters very well developed and refreshingly humorous. The floating balance between the magnetic fields of the supernatural and the explainable was used effectively. However, the lack of resolution and the extension of the story seemed unnecessary and insulting to the quality of an excellent premise.

The White Lotus (2021–2025)

You had one job!

[4/10 · 16 August 2021]

This show's only job was to show me how the wife died. That's all it had to do. Instead it tricked me into watching six episodes of self-indulgent cruelty to minorities and gays. I shan't soon forget the deception visited upon my leisure!

Behind Her Eyes (2021)

You will regret watching this show

[3/10 · 16 May 2021]

Either they switched writers during the season or they put off finishing the story until the night before the deadline. I'm not gonna spoil it. I want everyone to experience the anticipation and disappointment derived from a ridiculous, crammed-in premise. No they don't introduce zombies or aliens, but that would not have been worse. The acting, character development, photography, score, everything else was excellent. Then, a ridiculous explanation was introduced and the whole thing suddenly became a mockery of itself. Enjoy!

Cosmic Sin (2021)

Is this COVID's fault?

[2/10 · 2 May 2021]

This movie is more than the tired cliche of bullets and gunfights in future space. It is also poorly acted. I found it unwatchable and I tried. I really tried.

A Walk in the Woods (2015)

Moderate adaptation

[6/10 · 30 November 2020]

It's as though they appeased Bryson for leaving out much of his book by including a couple of his direct quotes. It's understandably difficult to match the book. A nice solution would be a series, similar to what was done with Catch-22. Nice casting and scenery.

Not Safe for Work (2015)

I didn't get it at first

[9/10 · 29 November 2020]

Then I got it. Given the heavy backstory, I expected it to be rather depressing. I was pleasantly surprised that the acting and, in no small part, the score made it light and humorous. The writers clearly prepped for a second season in the storyline. I hope they get it.