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Reviews
Irish Wish (2024)
Everything you'd expect from a Lifetime channel movie
Totally bizarre to see this on Netflix because it has everything you'd expect from a Lifetime movie. If you love Lifetime movies, you'll likely enjoy 'Irish Wish,' but if not, it's a definite skip. The writing feels cheesy and elementary, lacking the depth.
It seems as if scenes were barely rehearsed, giving off the impression that the first take was often the final take, leading to performances that feel unpolished and sometimes awkward.
The plot, while aiming for heartwarming, often veers into predictability, failing to offer any real surprises or moments of genuine emotion. The characters are broadly drawn, lacking complexity, making it difficult to truly invest in their journeys.
Despite these criticisms, 'Irish Wish' may find its audience among those looking for light, uncomplicated entertainment. It's the kind of movie that doesn't demand much from its viewers, making it a perfect fit for a lazy afternoon when you're looking to switch off your brain and indulge in some predictable romance. Just don't go in expecting anything interesting or new.
Reacher (2022)
S1 was great, not feeling the same about S2
Reacher's first season was a strong start, with its engaging storyline, well-developed characters, and thrilling action. However, in its second season, there were noticeable shortcomings. The writing felt weaker, as the plotlines became disjointed and less engaging. Character development also suffered, with some characters lacking depth and meaningful arcs. For example, the main antagonist in season 2 lacked the complexity and presence that made the first season's villain memorable. These factors combined to create a disappointing contrast to the promising foundation laid in the show's debut season.
Beacon 23 (2023)
Such potential, so poorly executed
I was unfamiliar with the short stories, but I see the huge potential here for a great show. I see new and classic sci-fi themes being touched on, but the show as written does an awful job of actually dealing with those. Way to much jumping around trying the keep the "pace high" instead of actually diving into all these ideas and exploring them. Instead it just touches on the surface of these characters. Such a shame to see such rich material so poorly executed. I'm not wholly disappointed to see it's getting a season 2 though, maybe it'll pivot, dive deeper in to the meat of the sci-fi. And for gods sake completely rethink how the AIs get represented... a glitchy headshot, really?
The Diplomat (2023)
Great show, but how is this a complete season?
The series bears similarities to "Madam Secretary" but with more action and drama. But not quite as much drama and action as "The Americans". Either way, comes out great.
The show's storyline follows a diplomat who faces various challenges in her job, including navigating complicated international relations, dealing with personal and professional issues, and balancing her work and family life. Keri Russell's character is well-written she delivers an outstanding performance.
The storyline is well-paced, and the acting and writing are both commendable. However, the biggest drawback of the show is its truncated season, with only eight episodes. It leaves the season arc feeling totally incomplete. Sure there is a little bit of a cliff hanger but the bulk of the story isn't event fully developed.
Dragged Across Concrete (2018)
Awful
This is an overly violent and slow-paced film that fails to deliver any coherent storyline or engaging characters. From the beginning, the movie sets out to shock and offend its audience with gratuitous scenes of brutality and racism, which serve no purpose other than to glorify violence.
The pacing of the film is painfully slow, with long stretches of nothing happening that only serve to bore the viewer. The lack of any real plot or character development means that the audience is left with nothing to invest in, making the movie feel like a pointless exercise in nihilism.
Moreover, the acting is flat and uninspired, with the cast delivering wooden performances that only add to the movie's overall sense of lethargy. Even the film's big-name stars, Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn, fail to bring any real depth or emotion to their roles. The cameo by Don Johnson is equally bad.
Overall, "Dragged Across Concrete" is a bleak and unrelenting film that fails to entertain or engage its audience. It's a waste of time for anyone looking for a compelling story or engaging characters, and the excessive violence and racism make it a difficult watch.
Chaos Walking (2021)
Not the worst sci-fi I've ever watched...
Not the worst sci-fi I've ever watched, but close.
This is one of those movies you you want to be good, but you know won't be so you just hope for the best.
Sadly, there is just not much to the plot to really be interesting. It's really too bad because it could have. There is the setup for a lot of socio-political commentary, it just doesn't follow through. I'm not even sure if it's right to call this sci-fi. It's just dorky boy meets girl and go on a mild adventure.
Then production quality is decent, the acting is ok, all the problems are I the writing.
It almost makes me think this was originally written as a western, and so one said "add aliens!" So someone added it... the. Someone said "let's put it in the future so the aliens have a backstory".
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
It keeps putting me to sleep
I love LoTR and could care less about the casting drama. It should really not be hard to hold my attention, but after 4 episodes I found myself dozing off half way through each episodes.
The production quality from costumes to CGI are absolutely incredible. The acting is good. But the story telling however is mind-numbing boring. They keep skipping all the potential excitement and scenes that would make me care about the characters.
I can't explain it without spoilers so using an example it's like "Oh my gosh, X is happening... then a cut scene to X is resolved, yay...". Like, what the heck is going on with this screen writing?
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
Horrible acting/writing brings down an otherwise promising show.
I enjoy the stories they've come up with, and that's surprising as I usually prefer multi-episode arcs.
With the exceptions of Anson Mount however the acting/writing/directing is just awful. Panning to characters to make brain dead quips.
I think it maybe still has promise, maybe I'm just overly optimistic.
Acapulco (2021)
Fun overall
Everything set in the 80s is awesome. Hilarious and funny. But omg the narrator setup in the present is just awful. It's pointless and I really hope the drop it from season two completely.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Summer movies can be better than this
Yes, the FX are good. Everything else about the film is not.
The plot, which has massive holes in it, isn't served by 90% of the action scenes. All "time travel" movies have plot holes, but these go way beyond that.
The worst of it all though is the acting. These aren't bad actors, was it the direction? I don't know but after the first half hour everyone goes flat. It's as if they're reading lines in different a room for a voice over. There is zero emotional connection between any of the actors, it's like everything was recorded in a different room.
Debris (2021)
Great idea, hope it gets better in season 2
The concept is great and the show really has potential. The execution of season 1 however is a bit lacking. Still worth a watch.
It really comes down to the first half dozen episodes feel disjointed and wandering. It picks up a little in the latter episodes. Just hope it starts stringing things together and turns into something great like x-files.
Outside the Wire (2021)
Plot so bad they have to explain it every 5 minutes
This is one of those horribly written and directed movies where the characters explain the plot every 5 minutes, or explain why they need to do what they're about to do. I guess they knew it wasn't compelling enough for viewers to remember it on their own.
Hard Kill (2020)
Admittedly I didn't finish watching the movie
I feel like I have a pretty high threshold for bad movies, especially when I'm bored and just watching something in the background off of Netflix. This was soooo bad though that I was ready to give up 2 minutes in. I made it half way through before actually giving up on it.
The writing is horrible, the acting is horrible. It's like robots delivering one bad line after another.
Little America (2020)
A patriotic masterpeice
It shouldn't seem like a political statement to tell American immigrant stories like these it should and does feel like patriotic statement that the American dream still exists.
Each of these unique stories is a short emotional roller coaster that can bring tears but leaves you feeling good.