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Will Trent: Have You Never Been to a Wedding? (2024)
I'm utterly astonished how bad this has become.
I love the premise of this show, and the characters, and many of the actors portraying them. But this season is a mess. Abysmal stories! Lazy (?) direction. This story, these characters, these actors deserve better! I'll check back in occasionally, hoping/craving to see if it's gotten fixed, but I'm pretty sure my hope is without foundation.
Oh, and I'm not happy that imdb requires so many words for a review. Yeez - I still need over 150 characters before this can even be accepted.
There are SO many lovely tv shows out there, and I'm SO sad that Will Trent was one that became unlovely. I still hold out hope that some benevolent overseer will rescue it!
True Detective: Night Country: Part 6 (2024)
What an abysmal series!!!
This is genuinely the worst series of TV I've ever endured! Like previous seasons of TD, it keeps hinting that all will become clear at the end. Nope. The producer/writer/director of this monstrosity conned us all. I'll never get back the lost 6 hours of my life squandered on this garbage. Good performances, especially by the leads, and mostly decent dialogue, but I'm astonished at the utter lack of... well, any unique creativeness that went into this piece of crap. I'd demand my money back, but I got it for free. And I'll NEVER watch anything else this pseudo-writer/psuedo-director does again!
Billions: Admirals Fund (2023)
A fine, if kinda schmaltzy, series end.
I've really enjoyed this series for its 84 episodes. Love the characters, acting portrayals, sharp dialogue. This episode could have been better, but I love how the creators/writers ended it with a lovefest of former enemies and broken comradery reborn into a new reality. (And I was SO happy to hear the opening lines of Josh Ritter's "Homecoming" there toward the end! That felt just perfect. It's as yet uncredited here on imdb.)
This season has been frustrating for me at times, as I didn't realize (and was not meant to realize) that the writers were playing us the long con. Yeah, they suckered us in, making us feel the season was struggling in its last gasp. Well done, writers! Well done.
Northern Exposure: What I Did for Love (1991)
SO ambivalent about this episode!! (But in a good way!)
Parts of this episode are pure magic. Parts are "What were the writers thinking?!" And part of my review is that I'm looking at it with 32 years of hindsight, after this groundbreaking series became something that other series built upon and were better than. This series changed my view of what tv should be, and this episode may have been what that catalyzing moment when my expectations were raised! (Ok, I just have to note that I'm really pi..., um, annoyed at how many characters imdb requires of a review. But I digress.) This episode advances the characters of Joel and Maggie and (maybe?) Maurice spectacularly and SO subtlety! Just beautiful!
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Pilot (2017)
Second attempt at viewing. Yay!
I tried watching the pilot episode when it first arrived in 2017, and I just couldn't get my way to the end. Too much anguish. Since its run just ended, and with SO much acclaim for all five season, I just gave it another shot in 2023. I alternately hated and marginally tolerated it (again) UNTIL she finally got on stage drunk that first time! (I didn't make it that far on first viewing - too depressing.) I swear, they should have filmed everything before that moment in black & white, just like The Wizard of Oz! The series wholly redeemed itself for me in her stage rant, finally revealing her repressed talent for her comedy. So, now I have to binge on the remaining 42 episodes. Guess I'll be busy for a few days. Hold my calls.
Justified: City Primeval: City Primeval (2023)
I'm utterly astonished at how bad this is!
Justified is one of my all-time favorite series. I can't even begin to say how much I loved, and still love it. I was SO pumped at this sequel! It's utter crap! Acting is ok, production is less than ok, story is crap. I am astonished that so many sycophants have rated it highly. To those who did: WTF are you thinking?! Yeah, Tim Olyphant did his part well. His daughter, not so much. The writers, not even close. Abysmal, and a shame to Elmore's legacy.
I'm really SO unhappy that imdb requires so many words in a review. Yeah, sometimes they're needed. But this POS series doesn't really need that many.
Black Mirror: Demon 79 (2023)
A disapointing finale to a bitterly disapointing season
I haven't liked a single episode of this season! Feels like Brooker got tired or distracted or bored, but was obligated by contract to do it. Limp writing, bland directing. Even the actors seem like they are not invested. We ALL know Brooker is better than this. (San Junipero is, imho, one of the best tv episodes EVER! I won't list the other amazing episodes here, but they are legion.) Thin plotlines this season, and no scripts to fill them in properly. (Ok, I'm ranting now because imdb feels I haven't said enough to post my rant. Imdb, please reduce the number of characters we need to post our reviews!) I still still look forward to a new season, in which Brooker throws himself into it with soul and wit and clarity.
Follow Her (2022)
I love how ambivalent I am about this movie!
Part of me wants to rate it a 9. Another part of me wants to rate it a 5. The script needs several more polishing reviews, and I'm really wondering why they didn't do so. (The whole Dad & new young stepmom thing was SO cliche! And it added NOTHING to the film.) Still, it mostly delivered what I was hoping for - a twisted delight commenting on kinky social media struggles for more likes/views. Kudos to writer/star Dani Barker for a fascinating story and performance, but I can't help but wish she'd workshopped the draft screenplay more before filming this. Oh, my favorite scene: before she knows there are more folks in the house, we see a guy in black in the background. That was perfect!
Firefly: Out of Gas (2002)
I rated this episode 10/10. I was wrong. It's at best a 5.
Wonderful story and wonderful editing. But the the whole "Mal gets the pillaging gang off the ship with a hidden gun" thing is utterly absurd. I love, love, love this show. But rewatching this beloved episode is revolting. Yeah, there, I said it!
Crap! Imdb says I don't have enough characters above to qualify! I hope this rant puts me over. Imdb doesn't seem to realize that some rants are sufficient in their compactness. Is this enough, imdb?
Apparently not. I really like imdb, But this "We won't publish your review because you haven't typed 600 characters" thing is really sad. Imdb, take a breath. Some of us can summarize with fewer than 600 characters.
Star Trek: Picard: Surrender (2023)
"Greetings, USS Titan..." The best line of ST EVER!
"Greetings, USS Titan. This is your friendly positronic pissed off security system back online. Unwanted guests and monologuing protoplasms, I am initiating an immediate shift change."
Maybe the best line of monologue in ALL of Star Trek history!!!
Absurd that imdb requires more words from me for this post. Sometimes, a short review suffices. And this is one of those. But I ramble on to get posted.
I really love how this season of Picard bonds back to the earlier series, both history and characters. I really hope to see more of Captain Shaw. Please!?
Yeez, 600 letters required for a review? Ridiculous! But looks like I made it.
Star Trek: Picard: No Win Scenario (2023)
Best Star Trek episode ever! Well, imho.
I'm 71 years old. I sat on the floor about 5 feet from where I type this on Sept. 8, 1966, to watch the first episode of TOS. I've winced at many episodes, loved many more, and I've always been more than a fan. Gene's vision survives, especially in this episode of Picard, where it thrives!
The character Picard here embodies SO much of what Star Trek has always been about - the depth of what humankind is capable of. The interplay between Picard, Riker, and Seven has been fun in earlier episodes. In this episode, it becomes almost ethereal!
(I'm kinda pissed that imdb doesn't think I've typed enough words to review this episode. Yeah, this sentence seem to satisfy their threshold.)
1923: Ghost of Zebrina (2023)
Oy, with the ghost ship!
I'm really loving this series, especially the story line of Spencer & Alexandra in Africa. But it feels like Mr. Sheridan is WAY unfairly toying with our limits of suspending disbelief with that damned tugboat debacle. Really, all the contrived coincidences leading up to the upside-down tug just left me shaking my head. Did Mr. Sheridan leave the room and let some intern write that crap?
Oh, but the scene of Teonna awaking on the rock to a flock of sheep - PRICELESS!
Did imdb always require 600 characters for a review? I thought it was lower, and it should be. I've read reviews that can well cover a show or movie in half that.
Babylon (2022)
Astonishing Bad Film by a Brilliant Director/Writer!
There were some amazingly good scenes in this film, but I can't imagine what Mr. Chazelle was thinking to believe that this 3-hour monstrosity was a good idea. Decent story, amazing performances, but why?! Almost everyone in this turd - cast, cinematography, even costumes, are to be commended, but Mr. Chazelle's story is utterly abysmal. Well, as I noted above, there are really some AMAZINGLY wonderful scenes. I'm surprised I actually made it through the entire 3 hours, but I know I'm better off for doing so, if even to only supply this review. (Also, I'm pissed at imdb that I must supply at least 600 characters for a review. Welp, seems I've met that.) I applaud those who liked this film, but I champion those who, like me, despise it!
Nope (2022)
I've no friggin' idea what this movie is about, but I LOVE it.
Ok, that's hyperbole. I've some idea what it's about, but I truly love it. I'll have to watch it again in a month or so, and then next year. Yeah, it will haunt me. Well done, Mr. Peele and company!
I'm surprised that imdb feels I need to say more words to have my review approved, but ok.
Casting and acting was amazing. Yeah, that includes the horses. But the story! How can anyone concoct this story and bring it to life like this?! Amazing.
Damn! Imdb still says I need more words. Utterly ridiculous. I've given a compact, succinct review that deserves non-dismissal.
Looks like I only need a few letters more to pass this test.
The Orville: Future Unknown (2022)
Cheap writing, smug and focused on tugging at our heartstrings...
"Hey, let's bring back Alara for no reason other than to pacify longtime viewers." "Hey, let's have a cool wedding. That always drives views." "Hey, ..."
I could go on, but this episode just isn't worth my time. But I still love this show, and I crave another season or 7.
The Orville: Domino (2022)
Utterly abysmal episode until it wasn't
I had such high hopes from reviews of this episode, but I am astonished that it gets rave reviews. And then there was that last scene. Damn! How they turned it around is friggin' brilliant!
The Orville: Midnight Blue (2022)
Great story, bad directing, lame screenplay
I really love what the team tried to do here, but they were really clumsy, even negligent, in their execution. I had SO many exclamations of "Wait, so what about...."
The Orville: Mortality Paradox (2022)
An abomination miraculously saved in the closing minutes!
I was prepared to give this episode a 2-star rating. Then they saved it with that magnificent ending. But I'm still pissed they were so clumsy in writing the first 45 minutes or so.
Better Call Saul: Nippy (2022)
I am utterly astonished that people like this episode.
Yes, there are some cool clever plot points, but not enough. (I LOVE how Jimmy/Saul/Gene slipped into Marion's life!) The whole con/heist thing has been done way better in countless other shows. I don't buy into the idea that he would plan such a cheap heist, doing SO much planning. I don't buy that Jeff can be trusted not to spill the beans, even with the "mutually assured destruction" in place. I suppose this episode was the producers saying "Hey, it's been a heavy dark place for the last few. Let's have a fun week!" Nope, I don't buy it.
Oh, this still may be my favorite tv series of all time. Yep, better than Breaking Bad. But this episode is unworthy.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Serene Squall (2022)
The Best Recreation of a TOS!
SNW has been kinda hit or miss for me so far, but I confess I just love this episode, as it draws so deeply into the core of what Gene tried to present in those first episodes. I know many will dismiss this episode as trivial, but it's got heart, baby! It's got the original heart!
For All Mankind: Polaris (2022)
An abysmal start to build on 2 great seasons
All the magic of the earlier episodes' writing and directing is absent in this third season opener. I suppose it will still attract a particular crowd, but I am not in that crowd, nor do I want to be. I hope they find the groove they've clearly lost.
The Batman (2022)
20 minutes in, I thought this was a cinematic masterpiece, then...
I am astonished at how this movie was brilliant until it was not, and then mundane, and then silly, then ridiculous. I watched the entire thing, hoping against hope that it would redeem itself. Nope, didn't happen. Some amazing camera work and editing and interesting backstory, but I feel cheated.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Children of the Comet (2022)
Absolutely Perfect
I gave last week's premiere a rating of 3/10. (Ok, I may have to review it again.) This second episode is a perfect blend of TOS and 2022 Star Trek. I don't often give 10 stars to any episode (or movie), but this episode deserves it!
Star Trek: Picard: Farewell (2022)
I was almost ready to give up on Picard, but then...
I've reviewed several episodes of the recent various incarnations of ST, but maybe it would help (or not) to give some perspective. I'm 70 years old. I watched the first episode of TOS on a black&white TV when it debuted (Yes, September 8, 1966.) I've watched every episode of every incarnation since, except for the animated series, which I'm getting to. I loved the first season of Picard, and I was very disappointed in the second season - Until 21 minutes into this finale.
At 21 minutes in, I was thinking it was a 5/10 at best. Then Wesley showed up. (Not a big fan of Wesley, but I've never been down on his character like so many Trekers.) From that point forward, this season finale was just perfect ST for me. Resolving and weaving together SO many issues - Q, Borg, Agnes, Guinan, Picard....
I started watching this episode wondering if I would even continue next season. Yeah, I will.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Strange New Worlds (2022)
Such a sad beginning
I'm a hardcore ST fan, and I was SO looking forward to this new series. This first episode is utterly abysmal. Such a waste of the lore of TOS, and all the series following. I'll keep watching for awhile, hoping the writers get it together.