Reviews

The 3 coins of power (or one ring if you like). That's really what they are. Coins that give power and corrupt those that hold them. It only takes seconds.

This is the first time this show has taken a deep dive into objects of power. Prior to this, there was the elephant gun, but that made sense and it's just technology, and the bear claws, which were just tools. Now, in Grimm Lore, there are magic coins that can change a person. I don't think the series needed that, but maybe this objects of power thing will play out further as the show goes on.

What made this episode work for me was strong performances by Sasha Roiz (Captain Bernard) and. Titus Wlliver (not your typical villain of the week) and dropping hints about the deaths of Nick's parents.

And we find out Hitler was a Wesen and under the influence of the coins. Another first for the show, about how history was affected by Wesen and "magic coins". Certainly a questionable choice, but interesting moment to close the show on.

Outstanding questions are . . . Will the coins return? Will the show explore historical events again? I don't think she show need either one. There's plenty of room for magic and power in the Wesen alone, and who/what the captain is, still hasn't been revealed, and now, we only have a few bits of information on Nick's parents.

I liked this episode. Well acted, not the typical good vs bad, but this had 3 or 4 parties playing roles and some fun information drops. I understand the issues, but 9 stars from me. Fun episode.

I was younger when Buffy aired. I loved the tough girl sexiness of it and I loved the inspiration. The show had heartbreak and bleak moments, and occasionally real scary parts and emotion and moments of true inspiration . . . And, lets talk about Spike. Spike went from amusing villain to amusing chipped/defanged villain, to heroic ally. Standing up to Glory was inspiring and completely heroic, even if he had selfish intentions. The Buffy bot was funny, and a little perverted, but fun TV. Spike was, briefly a hero and a season earlier, in once more with feeling, he saved Buffy's life. A hero twice, who fought alongside them several times.

Over a first watch, it was easy to like spike, which is why I didn't like the episode "as you were"; (6.7 rating). The return of Riley is fine and it works. Spike being the villain, in the way he was in that episode, felt misplaced and out of character. But I digress.

I liked spike. The anti-hero, tragic in some ways, heroic at times and now he tries to rape buffy. Ick. That's one way to make a character we've been made to like, dislikable, in 5 minutes. Why do that Josh?

It also opened up the unanswered question later in the season (spoiler for future episode ahead), when spike asked the being of great power to "make me the man I was", was Spike wanting the chip removed or was Spike asking for his soul. Viewers were left confused.

But now I have a bit more introspection. Spike was never good. He was helpful when he wanted to be. When he thought it would serve him. He loved a good fight. He was so happy when he learned he could punch demons, but he wasn't a hero and he was never good, he just sometimes fought on their side. And that becomes clear in this episode, where he gives into his urges, and only after an unpleasent to watch struggle, he realizes that his actions make it impossible for Buffy to love him, and he does love, or at least, intensely crave, Buffy.

Drusila said episodes earlier that Vampires can love, they just love selfishly . . . Or something to that effect. Spike was selfish and in a moment of self-serving-interest, he tried to rape Buffy. Then, knowing she'd never want to see him again after that, and still loving her - wanting her in his selfish way, he made the only choice he could, to get back his soul.

It's all very clear upon 2nd or 3rd watch and analysis. I understand this episode. I still don't care for it, but it it was a turning point for Spike, who I think, realized he would always be incomplete in that moment, so he was willing to face the trials, face death to get his soul back. Something a selfish vampire might want. It was all in character.

In character episodes might not always make the best storytelling, but they hold up better on rewatch. I still don't like this episode, but I understand it.

I'm not the typical YA audience, but this series does several things right that make it watchable and entertaining. (Caution spoilers ahead). First, it's an interesting premise. There are ghosts, nobody knows why, and they are dangerous. They can kill. Second, because of this, there's a curfew. Though it's set in the modern era, it feels like a Victorian cast system of the rich and the unimportant, set in London.

Third, the protagonist is smart. Not properly trained or experienced, without her degree/certificate, but with some skills and she's likable enough, brave but vulnerable, gifted but inexperienced, an apprentice without a teacher doing a dangerous job in a dangerous and unfriendly city and without a license. It's almost too much.

And the only people who'll work with her, whole hire her and give her a chance is a mysterious, arrogant, young home owner, who apparently inherited his home from his deceased parents and another school dropout with no social skills. 3 kids, basically. Maybe 2 18 year olds and one in his early 20s. It's all very obviously YA, but it sets up quickly with an interesting premise and obvious risk and I liked the show almost immediately.

It's not without its flaws. The characters don't trust each other, which sets up plot twists, but I find it a little unconvincing. It's not evey clear that they like each other. Maybe that changes in time. It feels a little forced sometimes, like when the lead character, Lucy, demands to be let out of a car, at night, after curfew, fully aware of the danger, but her feelings were hurt, so . . . What's a little risking death compared to hurt feelings. It wasn't believable.

But every character has clear desires and obstacles before the, and ghosts is a premise that's often done badly, but the ghosts in this series are a puzzle and that makes them interesting. The mysterious backdrop, challenges and likable enough, but far from perfect characters make this one watchable for me.

With more shows on TV or streaming than ever, and fewer and fewer shows that I find interesting, this one was a rare hit for me. Not perfect, but a solid triple. Not stranger season 1 good and seems to drag at times, but a fun show, nonetheless.

A lot of twists but not all that complex, just shifting the uncertainty around and never any doubt that the "good" guys would win in the end. Jenna Ortega is brilliant as Wednesday Adams. Easy and breezy and visually stunning with a Tim Burton twist. Better than most shows I've watched on Netty-flix. I hope there's a season 2 with a bit more darkness and bite.

It's funny that the show seems to borrow from legally blond, a girl out of place in a new school, smart but in unfamiliar surroundings. It borrows from a few high-school tropes, which sounds kind of cheesy, but Jenna and Tim Burton make it work.

I still think the show is missing something. When it's all over, it feels like it was more of a flashy appetizer than a meal, but still very good. Solid 9 stars.

I liked the first to Fantastic Beasts films. Not everyone did, but I did. I liked the 2nd one, though the saving the city at the end felt a bit forced.

I didn't care for this one. It had moments, but the Qilin felt like too big a cheat for me. Not a big surprise or clever plot twist, just - who's good and who's evil. It wasn't enough.

Some of the scenes were good. Giving Kowalski a wand was clever and fun, but it didn't hold up the entire film. Everyone knows Dumbledor wins in the end . . . Because this is a prequel, so it's hard to build suspense, but the film . . . I don't know. It laid it on too thick, and I say that, while liking the first two.

The death of the mother Qilin was unpleasent to watch, too soon and unnecessary. We'd only been introduced to them a few moments before. This isn't a unicorn that everyone knows, this is a brand new creature, very important to the plot and our introduction to it is seeing the mother Qilin killed and "twins" - wow. Not the most subtle plot twist.

3 stars. Some good moments. Some sloppy ideas. Bad movie. I'm disappointed. I wanted to like this one and was looking forward to it. I think Jude Law makes a great Dumbledore.

I caught it on cable one night and I was hooked. It's a fairly standard story, a boy, a native falls in love with a girl, who's also a native, but white enough that she can live in the white man's world and pretty enough to have a rich husband. She even says as much to him, though she also loves him.

The leading couple are played by actors who played Bruce Lee and Nikita, which is kind of funny, but there's little fighting in this film. It's a tragic failed romance, with a lot of things that happen in the background like world war II. It's a powerful film, at least, it was when I saw it years ago. I'm not sure how well it stands up today and it's memorable, so, knowing how it ends, I'm not sure it's a good rewatch, but I recommend it. The story may be one that you've seen a dozen times before, but it's well done with likable characters, especially the lead, Jason Scott Lee.

A friend told me that this was based on a true story, but I've not seen that written anywhere.

Maybe I'm too much of a sucker for a happy ending, or, give me a sad ending with hope, or, give me an unexpected twist but don't give me

. . . . .

The end of the universe because our favorite sorcerer supreme made a mistake. OK, that's my rant. I didn't like the ending. I understand why other's liked it, I didn't.

In the DS movie, Strange is warned not to mess with time and in this one, we see the worst outcome of messing with time. Wong's warning "or never having existed at all", has a ring of truth to it here.

Strange undoes the event that makes him sorcerer supreme and in doing so, dissolves his universe - at least, that's how I read it, or you can read it, there was no-one to stop Dormomu this time. Either explanation works.

I didn't like it cause there was no surprise there, just the bad strange wining, which I guess, the bad guy wining is kind of a surprise in the Disney Universe, but I wasn't impressed, it was just . . . Sad.

I couldn't help seeing parallels between this and the Michael Korvac what if, but in Korvac's case, he was misguided and hopeful and wanted to build a better universe and in Korvac's what if, he nullified everything trying to fight off his enemies including himself. It was unexpected and sad and it made sense.

Strange saved Christine, he performed the unforgivable sin and paid the highest price imaginable. I don't want to say predictable, but I want to say, I wanted a bigger twist than, do the wrong thing, get punished, which was ultimately, the lesson here. Not a bad lesson, but it doesn't hit the ball out of the park, especially since we've come to expect better from Strange, who may be reckless, but he's . . . I want to say, better than this.

Others can disagree, but I felt the power corrupts and destroys everything fell flat.

Very well animated but needed at least one more twist. Preferably something not quite so action / result / end oriented. 6 stars. Not bad. Not a fan.

I wasn't expecting the heart felt drama of wandavision, or the occasional heart felt, tear jerking scene that Marvel captures sometimes. This was fast paced, perhaps a touch too much, entertaining and well animated. The crisp animation is the real star of the show. The story, this one, a lot of it mirrored the first Cap movie, so much of the story we'd already seen - so they played through it pretty fast.

I understand why not everyone likes this, but I thought it was an entertaining Marvel fix and finally, they were just showing a story again. Something which I think Falcon and Loki both swung and missed at. Falcon because it was too much on the surface, too preachy and too little heart and Loki because it was all setup.

This isn't great TV, but it was fun. Watchable in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way and I think, the best animated Marvel ever.

Similar to WandaVision, Loki draws you into a new world with silliness and conflict and mystery. Unlike WandaVision the major players are laid out fairly early, well, we think they are (spoilers ahead)

Lady Loki, or Superior Loki, whatever you want to call her, had a plan she's been working on for some time and it's underway. The Timekeepers are, whatever they are, good, bad, neutral - not really sure and Luke Wilson (Mobius) has wonderful banter with the man himself, our Loki, aka inferior Loki.

Loki's path is yet to be determined and many don't trust him for good reason. It's perfect Marvel television with unknowns and mystery and a fun story. 12 stars out of 10 for this episode. Despite the Falcon and Winter Soldier miss, which wasn't bad, it just wasn't good, Marvel/Disney has nailed the TV series so far. I see many emmy's for this one if it stays good.

Where to begin. Bad writing. Plot devices and too much talking.

Bucky's story could have been very compelling. He remembers and has to deal with all the stuff he did as the Winter Soldier. This could have been a central theme, but he didn't get enough screen time.

Falcon's arc wasn't quite as interesting, but still potentially good. He had to decide he was worthy to carry the shield. That was actually done pretty well and it concluded with episode 5 when he got the shield back.

I really wanted to like this, but it had a weak conclusion. Some good bits with Falcon taking on a helecopter, but overall, a weak climax with a long speech after the fight that could draw comparisons with Wonder Woman's "recant your wish" speech or Supergirl's "hope" speech. 10 for politics, but 2 for story. It just didn't work and I'm happy to see a lot of bad reviews have made it here. This was not a 7.7 show, it was a 5 or 6.

There were good bits. There were some nice fight scenes and parts of the series were quite fun to watch, and Falcon's training Montage was Rocky-esq in it's inspiration, but as a whole, it was pretty forgettable, and it tried to do too much at times.

The villians generated no sympathy. Isiah Bradley was good, but had little screen time. It feels like this was just a general idea - lets make the Villiams be this, the Falcon has to deal with being black and poor - which felt unrealistic given that a phonecall to Pepper Potts and she'd have paid for the boat and Bucky has nightmares, which was realistic, Insert several fights, but tie it all up in a bow, with no tension or suspense in the end.

There was one line, that I felt, could have been the heart of the series, when Baron Zemo said to the Falcon "Have you visited the memorial". It was his wife and family who died when Ultron's city fell to the ground. It was a touching line, more touching than seeing Bucky murder an innocent and have nightmares about it. I think there was a good series in there, but what we got just didn't work. It needed to go back to the editing room and have a full rewrite.

All that said, it wasn't awful. It was just bad. Worse than most of the Netflix Marvel series and Disney needs to aim higher than that or people will lose interest. Better than Inhumans, and better than Thor 2, but that's a very low bar. 5 1/2 stars.

First, the good:

The film pays homage to the first, perhaps to a fault. It's nice to see several of the characters back, even if the roles are light.

Leslie Jones was actually kind of funny in this one. She was the only part of the film that was fresh and new. People love to hate her, but honestly, she wasn't bad in this.

Now the bad.

Eddie Murphy doesn't pull it off. He pretends to be the King who's stopped being true to himself, but it was so obvious where the movie was going in the end, that he would come around that it felt pointless.

The jokes weren't funny

And the movie was pretty much 90 minutes of "why did they bother".

It's light and silly and pointless, but I found it mostly watchable, if nothing else, for the characters and cameos returning from the first film. 4 stars.

There are some fun scenes. Watching Wonder Woman fight in her weakened state was interesting and well done. Those were the best scenes in the movie, when WW had less power but still tried to be a hero, and only partially succeeding both times. That was a nice moment, a bit like Toby McGuire in Spiderman 2 when his powers were slipping. Those scenes were very well done.

Her love for Steve Trevor didn't really come across. They made good strangers with a shared goal, getting to know each other in the first film, but had less chemistry in the second. There was also, not really a sense of sacrifice in the end, when she has to give him up.

Kristen Wiig had her moments and while she overdid the nerdiness a bit in the beginning, she cleaned up well and had some believable moments as a newly powered person. Both Kristen and Gal are good actresses.

Maxwell Lord, as a villian was neither scary nor sympathetic, which was another problem with the film. If you're going to make a character based movie, give the lead characters some character. I've heard people say that Maxwell Lord is based on Donald Trump and Patty Jenkins said he's based a bit on Gordon Gekko, but Gekko was smart. Max, in this film, comes across as a boob with a McGuffin in his pocket. At times it felt like I was watching a Simpsons Halloween episode given the unreality of some of the events in the film.

Was it a swing and a miss? Overall, yes, but good performances and a few good scenes, I didn't think it was as bad as everyone says. I enjoyed the first two thirds. Didn't care for the closing scene at all and the final battle between Cheetah and WW was disapointing. 6 stars for the bits it did well, 2 stars for the ending.



The flaws in the film is that the first 50 or 60 minutes or so was boring. Not much happened other than backstory. And the finally was just awful.

Not funny-funny, but sitcomish. I saw this growing up and while it never made my top 10, I found it watchable. It had a "lets talk about racism" basis, with one of the characters an outright racist. The mayor, a sell-out politician, the chief, a good man trying to adapt and the lead character, played admirably and likably by Kene Holiday.

In the end, the show has no weight. It touches on racism with the softest of kid gloves and that's not necessarily bad because the overall message - deal with it, we have a black cop on the force is an OK message, but it's not very memorable.

It's a character driven sit com with some good actors in it. The characters are actually OK. Not the worst show I watched in the 70s, but nothing to cheer about.

Long time star trek fan who looked forward to "STD" and tried to love it, but lost interest after about 1-2 episodes.

STP (are we going to go with that???) is different. It's fresh, fast paced, mysterious and so far, fun. Picard is likable if no longer invincible, as we saw him getting winded going up a flight of stairs.

And there's something dark in star fleet now, and nobody trusts androids and Picard is haunted by his memories and he says a moving line about 3/4ths of the way in. "I've not been living".

Too early to say which way the show will go and if it will maintain it's suspense but I'm hooked so far, Interesting new ideas, boldly going where we've not gone before. Looking forward to episode 2 in 7 days.

I'm not sure where the show will go from here and it is a one woman show, make no mistake. There's no 2nd character that stands out even a little, though the intimidating casino boss isn't bad.

Colby is likably damaged. It's a character type we've seen a thousand times before, but she carries it well. An army vet with flashbacks, single, we don't know her age but we can assume older 30s, and the love of her life married someone else. She's tough, rough around the edges, broke and cool. It's enough to carry the show, at least for one episode.

Did she take out 2 guys in a fight? Well, yes, but after a car crash where she was in the back seat and better positioned for the landing - the soft seats infront of her, the hard dashboard infront of them and those 2 guys had taken her down earlier in the episode, so it wasn't a huge reach. She also took the bigger one down with a kick to the you know whats, and she picked up a gun during the fight . . . so lets be real. She's tough but she's not superwoman.

The show has a fun, fast paced devil may care approach and for at least one episode, it worked. In the long run, I think the show will need some personal tension and character development story lines and they may fall into some traps about "she's a gambling addict or other, been there done that approaches, but until that happens, it felt fresh and fun. I'm not sure the casino boss is enough to provide weekly tension, but she was the best at providing it in episode one and I don't see much coming from the cops who's basically just a nice guy at this point. I also found the love making scene pointless and irrelvent. OK, she's easy or she's lonely and she won't commit, but none of that added anything to the story. I'd have preferred a kiss at the end when he reminded her about parking tickets over sex in the middle, but nobody's hired me to write these things.

All in all, 1 episode in, nice start, fun show and I'll keep watching. Beats that Whisky Cavalier spy nonsense.

Mixed feelings about the show. A lot of the episodes seem light on plot and the inevitable good guy wins in the end, ending isn't hard to predict. The show is intermixed with creepy visions and a small puzzle as to what the visions mean, but the puzzles are less well presented than a similar show, Medium, where you were left to reason out what the dream or vision actually meant through most of the show.

This was a pretty standard episode with what might have been a gripping conclusion except it was so predictable and quite similar to an episode in Medium that it didn't really have much effect.

The near death of a friend was a nice twist, but ultimately, just a few minutes and the mention of Claire was compelling and left us with questions. A rare moment of carrying a strong theme across episodes. So, overall this was an ordinary episode with an ordinary conclusion but some nice surprises, perhaps shedding some hope on how this show might improve, or, perhaps, just teaser moments that won't carry through.

The final cliffhanger though, the face of the man who threatened her. A new enemy? The devil, perhaps? I want this show to succeed and they left us with a nice cliffhanger, even if we don't know who the new bad spirit is, but there's a chance that season two could be more interesting. Some nice drops in the finale of season one.

It's probably 60/40 that this show gets cancelled. The ratings aren't good, but on the plus side, the ratings haven't dropped. There's a chance. I hope it's renewed. It's one of the few shows I always watch and I'll turn in for season two for certain.

Hard to rate the season off the one episode as it just set the tone and somebody tell me why aliens from space would teleport a truck into their landing place or . . . whatever, but it's the characters we know, some open questions and a villian introduced who threatens the entire world and something about a butterfly. Nice visuals, typical tense agent May and Mac in charge now and some new faces, and oh, some people are in "deep space" and daisy's blond. A nice opening episode. 8 stars and 100% tuning in next week.

It wouldn't be STO (Star Trek Orville) without a time travel episode and they pulled it off. Some nice twists, some unexpected moments and a funny bit here and there. Yaphit cameo was great.

It would have been better, I think, to leave it as a cliffhanger, rather than an ending, but with season 3 still up in the air, I don't blame Seth for writing an ending not leaving us with a cliffhanger.

A fun episode, and a fun season. Looking forward to season 3, whether Fox or Netflix.