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Reviews
The Franchise (2024)
Hollywood Forgets Shows About Itself Need To Be Good
I only watched one episode so take what you will from that but this show was bad enough for me not to continue. I am usually willing to put up with a lot of garbage on screen so take what you will from that.
I came to the conclusion that the target audience for this show is Hollywood insiders. The jokes simply aren't funny otherwise or are super niche. Way too much was going on and the show seems to think that being about Hollywood (which loves to write about itself) is enough to keep a viewer engaged. The self-serving monologue at the end of the first episode was the final nail in the coffin for me.
Unless you work in show business I'd stay away from this miss, and even if you are in show business I'd probably avoid it anyways.
The Legend of Vox Machina (2022)
The best show Amazon is making right now....is a D&D cartoon?
First- I don't play D&D or watch Critical Roll. Point is, you don't need to be into that to enjoy this show and what a show it is.
Great voice acting, snappy pacing, and they put the work into character development over multiple seasons. My only quibble is some of the discussions or struggles can seem redundant and drag on, I also thought Season 1 was a little more childish with tacky slapstick gaffes. Overall though I highly recommend this show to anyone who enjoys fantasy.
The great irony is Amazon spends 20-30x the budget this show has on other mega budget fantasy shows which deliver a worse story and uninteresting characters. Vox Machina is fantastic, Season 3 was a banger, and the show is aging like a fine wine.
The Perfect Couple (2024)
It's hard to make Kidman look bad...but this show finds a way
The opening credits are really a testament that The Perfect Couple has no idea what kind of show it wants to be. Hip music with the cast dancing like Macarena on the Nantucket beach? For a murder mystery show? How did anyone think that vibe was a good idea?
This is an all-star cast that has the greatest actress of her generation (along with Jodie Foster). Besides Kidman, you also have the very talented Schreiber and Fanning who manage to look B-grade in a production with vapid one dimensional characters and nobody to really root for. The plot moves along slowly, the twists are pretty obvious, there's little tension, and by the end I simply didn't care what happened.
There is no reason this needed to be six episodes and should have been a movie instead. Even then I suspect the issue is more Jenna Lamia (showrunner) and Susanne Bier (director) rather than script snappiness.
Avoid this, go watch White Lotus or Big Little Lies instead. Netflix, as usual, only knows how to make 'mid' TV.
True Detective (2014)
S1 (10/10), S2 (3/10), S3 (7/10), S4 (6/10)
True Detective Season One has a respectable claim to being the finest individual season of television created so far this century. Up there with select season(s) of The Wire, GoT, The Crown, Fleabag, Westworld, Band of Brothers, Arrested Development, Succession, Chernobyl, Heroes, etc.
I have a hard time decoupling the first season's level of excellence with the other seasons. Season two is a train wreck, avoid at all costs. Three is pretty good though I've forgotten much of it.
I just finished four and have really mixed feelings, I really disliked the ending and felt it was so uncreative and fairly obvious. The acting was top notch though and they carried the show.
If you do anything, just watch Season 1 if you haven't already done so.
Terminator Zero (2024)
I need your boots, your clothes, and a better series
Watched through episode 5 then called it quits.
I was super excited to watch this and unfortunately this show turned out to really miss the mark. I got sick of watching Malcom in a room arguing with a machine AI over human nature. I get that it's an important conversation but it became really monotonous after five episodes.
I'm a stickler for consistency so it's hard for me to watch Eiko get hit on the back multiple times by a terminator and grunt a little before pushing the terminator down an elevator shaft. Then a few scenes later a terminator crushes a skull with one hand. It's just lazy writing.
Misaki is not that interesting, even after the reveal, and just seems to gasp. The show can't seem to figure out if it's for PG children or R-rated adults.
Anyways, stories and characters are what make Terminator series and unfortunately this show falls flat on both.
House of the Dragon (2022)
S1 (9/10) and S2 (7/10)
I really don't get the 1/10 reviews on here complaining this isn't peak GoT quality. Sure, you're comparing it to one of the most impactful shows of the last two decades at its zenith, I'm not sure how that warrants a 1/10 for this in comparison to all shows on TV.
HotD is very good in Season 1 with solid pacing. It's been a couple years since I watched Season 1 but King Viserys, Daemond, Otto, and Aemond are standouts.
I'm not sure exactly what happened in Season 2 but the pacing is super slow and, while there are more dragons, battles are few and far between. Again, Daemon, Otto, and Aemond are the standouts (as well as Larys Strong), but we almost end the season where we started.
The stakes are low, with few character deaths - certainly ones we don't have much emotional attachment to. I was most disappointed in Alicent and Rhaenyra, the latter who seemed to make inconsistent strategic decisions and the former who was ineffective and unconvincing that she actually holds power.
I read that David Zaslav made cuts to Season 2 because of the actors strike so they cut it down from 10 episodes to 8 hence the awkward anticlimactic ending. I believe that.
Hopefully they get their act together for Season 3. I'd love it if there were more ruthless women in the show as well as more humor. Both are sorely lacking.
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (2022)
Underrated Show Which Should Not Be Cancelled
I saw ads for this show when it aired but thought it was a Ken Burns-like documentary instead of a historical live action a la The Crown. I can't think of a show in recent memory that was so good and so poorly marketed.
The show is great! It follows the (early) rise of the Lakers dynasty. Jerry Buss/John Reilly is the star of the show and steals every scene. I enjoyed how the show got into the player dynamics and rag-tag Lakers operations.
Counterintuitively I wish it showed less basketball and more coaching tactics and got into the weeds of basketball theory. Like "The System" was pretty unclear and we never know why Pat Reilly is a great coach.
The show's casting is top notch but I could never take Jason Segel seriously as Paul Westhead (and the show does a poor job of Westhead's "bad coach" portrayal in Season 2). Perhaps that is my fault for having Jason typecast. I loved Kareem's character and wish they focused even more on him as a person. Same with Larry Bird.
All in all it's a shame this show was cancelled. I've recommended it to friends, especially those who have no interest in basketball, you don't have to like basketball to enjoy this show!
Argylle (2024)
Last 30 Minutes is a Dumpster Fire
This started off okay, then it got bad, then something strange happened in the last 30-40 minutes and became unbearable, like I was watching a bizarre parody of bad action movies.
Knife skating on oil, waltzing to multi-colored tear gas, and bypassing top secret state secret encryption by...using the satellite link? It's like they gave up. The frustrating thing is this was a star-studded cast and the movie didn't start out terrible.
I feel like Apple and Universal should apologize for this film, the last half hour has got to be some of the worst cinema I've seen in the last five years. Pass on this one.
The Acolyte (2024)
I Am Once Again Asking For Your Support: Fire Kathleen Kennedy
Lesbian witches renaming The Force and creating Force twins through a strange ritual on your Bingo card? Fear not, the Acolyte has it covered.
I figured we were in for a doozy after Andor, which is probably the best Star Wars live action production since Empire, was released. Balance had to be brought to Disney+.
I'm used to the bad dialogue, bad acting, and even a couple plot holes in Disney Star Wars but this was too much for even me to handle. Like why is a Jedi in meditation for ten years suddenly decide to take suicidal poison? It just isn't very Jedi-ish. Why was I tricked on ads that Carrie-Anne Moss would be in this when she has like a five minute cameo - and she's fantastic during her on-screen time which is even more annoying. Why can you escape from a bunch of Jedis now by just stirring up some dust?
It's just lazy writing and bad acting hidden behind some flashy CGI, par for the course with Disney Star Wars. I really wanted to like this and I'm super flexible on canon, I just want good storytelling. I'll admit Kathleen Kennedy has a couple wins with the first two seasons of Mando, Andor, and Rogue One but overall her track record is a train wreck. She needs to go (and I know Bob Iger is too scared to make that decision).
Two stars for Lee Jung-jae who I think has some solid Jedi presence and does the best he can with the toilet script.
Disclaimer this was only through episode 3 which is as far as I can handle. Hopefully it gets better but I'm not sticking around to find out.
Shogun (2024)
One of the best period dramas of the last two decades
After The Crown I can't think of a better period drama than Shogun that has come out in the last 20 years. Chernobyl, Downton Abbey, and Mad Men are up there.
But first an apology to Anna Sawai who I blasted as a terrible actress after watching Monarch. I am eating crow and Anna was stellar as Mariko in Shogun and I won't be surprised if she garners a well-deserved Emmy nomination. I am excited to see her career unfold.
The Japanese casting is spot-on, Hiroyuki Sonada was flawless. Costumes are amazing and I think the cinematography in low-light shooting was beautiful. The storyline is engaging and the chess moves between Toranaga and the Regents are exciting. I read many reviews saying the pacing is too slow/boring but I never felt like that, if anything it could have gone slower.
I was never entirely bought into John Blackthorn's character but Cosmo Jarvis was consistent in the acting, it may just not be my style/preference. I also wish the show dug more into the flashback scenes, they didn't connect well enough to the modern storyline.
Overall though it is amazing. I'd probably give it a 9/10 but since there's such a dearth of period dramas (likely because of high production costs) this handicaps to a 10/10.
Scoop (2024)
Netflix Made a Film That Wasn't Terrible! Yay!
This film is as by no means great but given Netflix's track record in films this is, in my opinion, a big win because it wasn't a dumpster fire.
The good: Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell, especially the latter, are spot-on for acting and there's a reason why these are both legends. The show does a good job of laying the baseline as to why this is a historic interview, who Epstein is, and why Prince Andrew needs to make an accounting.
The bad: I personally couldn't get into Billie Piper playing Sam McAlister, I thought it was over-acted and awkward. I actually think the story would have been so much better had it been from Gillian Anderson and Prince Andrew's perspective and not Sam's. Sam's backstory and home life seemed out of place and disjointed and disconnected from the film. The office politics as well as signpost misogyny conversations also just seemed unnecessary, the latter treated the audience like idiots.
Overall though I'll take the win and hope Netflix continues to put out films that are not terrible. A low bar, I admit, but I think it is achievable.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)
Cool Concept, Bad Acting, and Logical Inconsistencies
Haven't seen the cartoons so coming fresh into this
So first, is it me or is Aang the laziest protagonist ever? I understood that he was supposed to be learning all the elements and in the entire first season he took exactly zero lessons on any element save air. It wasn't like he wasn't around any bending experts. Hard to root for the guy when he puts zero work into upping his avatar game.
Point being, there are so many logical inconsistencies here that it's hard to ignore. Why is Aang afraid of falling off cliffs or through the air when he is an airbender? Why can't waterbenders just make people explode (I'm sure there is a good reason for this beyond a PG rating but I was never told)?
The child acting is mostly poor and their script dialogue was left wanting. I get that this is a young adult show but at least give them a chance at dialogue that isn't overly wooden.
The fights and adventure are fun, the scenery is beautiful, and the concept is great. The show sputters after episode 3 or so and begins a downhill slide.
All that said, I got through the season and will likely give a second season a shot. Just a bummer because this could have been so much more!
3 Body Problem (2024)
Pretty Good, Less Characters, Needs More Backstory
First I'm glad the major networks are investing in SciFi which has been a backwater for the last couple decades. I also think this is the best SciFi television show since Westwood S1/Expanse S1,S2.
I loved the premise, especially the first few episodes. Unfortunately the show gets gummed up in the later half by spending too much time on the characters, odd priorities for the characters, and not spending enough time on backstory.
For example, why can't the San-Ti use their protons to start wiping out people they don't like instead of using half-baked assassins? They can control every television screen on the planet and impact machinery (I think), so why not start crashing planes of anyone they want dead. Why not start killing more scientists? There might be answers to these but the show does a super poor job of explaining the backstory.
I also had a hard time following character incentives and decisions, they were so moody and mopey for the fate of humankind to be on the line.
The show is at its best either when having action go down or getting into human nature. I loved the judgement day ship episode precisely because it was so uncomfortable and welded SciFi with painful morality decisions.
Finally, I wish D&D had written every episode instead of just half the show. If there is a season 2 they really need to keep their foot on the gas and not outsource any of the writing, this season felt disjointed at times and lacked a lot of backstory and hand-holding for SciFi.
Overall enjoyed it and hope more is coming.
Arrested Development (2003)
Seasons 1-3: Best Sitcom Comedy Ever Made
(opinions below ignore the sacrilegious reboots)
I've watched the first three seasons four or five times over the past couple decades and it's amazing it has staying power. Well, probably a couple jokes that are a little offensive now, but I still laugh so hard at this show.
Better than I Love Lucy, better than Seinfeld, better than Friends, there's no comedy sitcom better.
I was telling my friend how you could get a show with a bunch of Japanese businessmen in a house while a rocket man fights a giant mole over a mini development so it looks like a Godzilla fight. I'm laughing just typing that.
Friends (1994)
Unfortunately Simply Not Very Good
Do you ever have something everyone seems to love but you just can't figure out the draw? That's Friends for me, though over the years I've learned to feign enjoyment for the show for the sake of social cohesion.
It's simply not very funny, especially 25+ years later, except for a couple of Chandler's jokes. The acting is poor and the show is boring as the six friends sit in their apartment talking to each other; the season bylines are who will date who. I know it was the 90's but the show is just so bland.
I've seen every episode of every season and tried rewatching a few after Matthew Perry tragically died. I really wanted to change my mind.....but it's still bad. There is so much better television out there. It was bad then and it is bad now.
The best thing about this show back in the day was we were closer to watching Seinfeld.
Damsel (2024)
Entertaining But Takes Self Way Too Seriously, Needs Humor
I laughed reading the wide spread of reviews here and totally get how people can love or hate this movie. For some reason Netflix really struggles to consistently make quality in-house feature movies.
This movie could have been so much better if humor and self-awareness were injected, it takes itself way too seriously. Now, that's fine if you have a tight script, strong character backstory, and believable/internally consistent storyline but this film doesn't. They should have taken a lesson from Robin Wright and added a couple doses of Princess Bride. Regardless, there is action and the story moves. Great airplane movie.
I hardly ever complain about this but the diversity in this film seems so forced and is borderline cringe. 2024 and Hollywood still seems to have not figured out how to incorporate diversity in a believable way.
The Gentlemen (2024)
Pretty Good But Can Tell Ritchie Only Wrote/Directed First Two Episodes
You can tell Guy Ritchie only wrote (co-wrote) and directed the first two episodes as the show starts off with a crack and runs into a muddy and convoluted plot in episodes 5-7 and a fairly uncreative ending in episode 8.
The show shines with the casting - primarily Kaya Scodelario as Susie Glass. Actually everyone is strong except for Theo James who I thought was miscast and would think he is a poor actor given his track record had it not been for White Lotus Season 2. I don't think he has found his acting niche yet but this isn't it.
There are still Guy Ritchie vibes in the rest of the show after episode 2 and a fun and entertaining cast of characters. Messy plot in the back half and a little uncreative for Ritchie standards but a fun and high energy show.
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
Best Movie This Century
I know it's a bold claim but you'll regularly find this movie high on critic's lists of best films this century, up there with Moonlight, Mulholland Drive, and No Country For Old Men. This is Miyazaki's masterpiece and I've watched this film close to ten times now, the only film I have watched more is Casablanca.
One of the best things about Miyazaki's films is there is never a binary split between good and evil, a phenomenon Disney movies have trained audiences to need (that's not a bad thing, but it is a thing). Spirited Away is exploration, uncovering interests, and understanding the world around us. The film is beautiful, the score is amazing, and the pacing is just right.
Best movie of the century....so far.
The Brothers Sun (2024)
Wasted Opportunity, Should Have Been "The Son Sun" Without Bruce
The first couple episodes are pretty good and then the show tanks, particularly the back half. I tried to figure out what happened and it looks like Byron Wu & Brad Falchuk, the creators, only actually wrote the first and last episodes (with Byron going solo on episode two).
I don't mind minor plot errors or character inconsistencies, especially in action shows, but they had so many things that didn't make sense or were illogical as the show went on. It was too much even for me.
The show had fantastic action scenes and nailed the casting of Boss Sun, Mrs Sun (Michelle Yeoh is flawless as always), and Charles......which brings me to Bruce. What in the world happened there? He sticks out like a sore thumb, the character isn't funny, the dialogue is bad, and he makes terrible decisions to the point they don't make sense. TK follows is cut from the same cloth and isn't funny either.
There are flashes of brilliance (I'm still laughing about John Cho's house) but with Michelle Yeoh, Justin Chien, and Johnny Kou this show could have been so much more. If they do have a Season 2 the writers need to keep this one under their thumb and no sloppy outsourcing. And no Bruce either, period.
Yellowstone (2018)
I To Not Like This Show, Unfortunately It's Very Good
(Review is only for the first two seasons)
I came into this show not expecting to like it but the storyline, acting, and cinematography is superb. Basically it's Mafia Wars in Montana with intermittent giant doses of testosterone (cowboys with guns on horses while fishing)! Costner is a master actor as lead of the Duttons. The show is at its finest when it shows the chessboard moves the Duttons and their enemies engage in.
The show gets gummed early in the second season but starts rolling again midway through. Kelsey Asbille is the weakest link as Monica and plays a poor hand badly, the storyline jettisons awkwardly out and the acting just misses the mark.
I think Cole Hauser as Rip may be the strongest acting (sans Costner himself) and looked forward to all the scenes Rip was in. Thomas Rainwater is great too. The storyline hums and the scenery is beautiful.
Just as Cormac McCarthy's "All The Pretty Horses" was a little more raw and brutal than the title suggests, this show strikes in a similar vein. Highly recommend and wish I didn't wait so long to watch it.
Reacher (2022)
S1 (7/10) S2 (3/10) Fell Far And Fast In Season 2
I have admittedly not read any of the Lee Child books or have a huge affinity for Reacher, I just want a great story with some action. Season 1 delivered with interesting side characters and small town justice. The battle at the end was fairly epic and Reacher was just a terminator and great to watch.
I have no idea if the show runners changed or scriptwriters went on vacation, but Season 2 has a totally different vibe. Reacher operates in a band of ex-military operatives trying to untangle a murder mystery. My frustration is he isn't front and center and this show works so much better with him as a lone wolf. The side characters are unconvincing and unlikeable, contrasted with Season 1's cop and lawyer who were great.
Really disappointed and hope this show does better for Season 3 if renewed. Go back to the roots.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)
Bad Story (sans 1950), Bad Acting (sans Kurt), and No Godzilla (sans 5 minutes)
Wow what a wasted opportunity. The three lead characters have got to be the most obnoxious trio (and poorly acted) I've come across in a long while. They're simply unlikeable and it's really hard to care about their development.
The 1950's timeline is actually pretty interesting and not an acting dumpster fire.
I'm actually okay that they didn't show titans for more than a handful of 9+ hours of show time........but if you're going to do that at least make it interesting. Unfortunately this show is not interesting and why they didn't lean into having the IP for Godzilla is beyond me.
I started doing something in episode 7 that I recommend any fair-weather fans to do: only watch the 1950's timeline, scenes with Kurt Russell, and scenes with titans. You won't miss much and the show is immensely more enjoyable.
The Buccaneers (2023)
Script Written By 7th Grade Girls
I feel a little embarrassed giving this a score as high of a 5/10 but it's simply because I'm still watching. Trashy period drama with modern flairs and a script that, as far as I can tell, is written by 7th grade girls. The positives are that the story moves snappily and the cinematography is beautiful. The James storyline about gaslighting and emotional abuse was actually interesting and rarely seen on television so I appreciated that.
However, overall terrible acting (especially the buccaneers and their male interests), ridiculous storyline, and just a bad Bridgerton knockoff. I am, it embarrassingly seems, okay with that but am barely hanging on.
Ted Lasso (2020)
Season 1 (9); Season 2 (6); Season 3 (3)
TL;DR: just watch Season 1 and call it quits
I'm questioning whether I have recency bias not giving this entire series a 5 or if I was in a Covid-era induced craving for any feel-good television with Season 1.
I don't know of many shows that have fallen this far this fast, Westworld and Heroes come to mind. I think a lot has to do with Bill Lawrence leaving for Season 3 to focus on Shrinking, I have a lot more respect for him now.
Anyways, Ted Lasso is a show of light hearted feel-goodisms, some blatantly artificial and shallow, others deeper and more developed. The show leaves so many opportunities left unturned and while Season 1 was a tight and deep show focusing on Ted and the team, it tries to cover far too much ground in Season 3. Nate's story arc is so unsatisfactory, Keely is obnoxious (and shame on this show for not addressing the eating disorder or whatever she is going though), and Ted just spouts tag lines here and there.
Finally, this show seems to have a knack for showcasing inappropriate relationships forming from huge power inequities and passing them off as normal: bosses and subordinates, investors and funded company CEOs, and counselors with counseled (gross!)
Anyways, just watch Season 1 and call it quits.
Beef (2023)
Refreshing
Glad to see Netflix take a risk here and there and it paid off with Beef. Incredibly well cast and a constant drum beat of uncomfortable escalation.
I wish they had dug into the two main character's history (especially Danny's) more with flashbacks, and feel this was a lost opportunity. I felt like I understood the main chapters so much more after those and how childhood and generational trauma carried over into two damaged people.
Overall though it was fantastic and hard to keep from binging. I just wish Hollywood, particularly Netflix, made more original series like this instead of cheap reality TV trash.